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October-November 2024
Fifties rapid
transit at auction, November 5
Okay, it might be a big call, but we
reckon the Ariel Square Four in MkII one-litre trim
qualifies as a fifties rapid-transit.
While it wasn't about top speed, it was
about loads of grunt and gobbling up big distances at a
pace that was the domain of only a few competitors. Think
80mph (130km/h) or so.
A restored
example is up for sale as part of the Roy Parker
collection, via Donington Auctions.
See the full
auction cattledog here;
Plus, read about
our epiphany after finally swinging a leg over one.
Recycled
Rickman, November 3
Classic junk
or classic gem? Much depends on your point of view.
This bike was described as both before it was
restored.
In any case you can't help but admire how this revived Rickman Honda has turned out. See the story from Motorcycle Classics (pic by Jeff Barger).
See the 1971 Honda CB750-Four in our shed.
Back yard Norton V8 fire-up, November 1
Our favourite shed genius, Allen Millyard in the UK,
has got the Norton Nemesis V8 prototype running in his
back yard.
We love his ability to test the new
tacho on his dodgy old lawn-mower. Grab a glass
of your favourite tipple and put about 25 minutes
aside...it's worth it.
See our
1968-77 Norton Commando profile.
Flashback:
Dinosaur soup, October 31
From our archives: "By today’s standards a GSX1100E is no great shakes in the handling department and the power easily overwhelms the brakes. Oh, and there’s lots of quicker stuff to be found in your average showroom, even in the 600 aisle.
"That said, the bike did
win a Castrol 6 Hour in 1981, then one of the most
fiercely-contested production races on the planet." See the story
here
Tribe of turbos,
October 30
In the wild west that was the 1970s,
Kawasaki USA decided to add some spice to its ageing and
flagging Z1000 and Z1R sales by producing an in-house
turbo model called the Z1R TC.
Some 500 examples were produced, using
ATP kits.
Of course they're now highly prized among
collectors, though verifying the real from the replicas is
challenging.
Ebay
currently lists a collection of 10 variants,
priced at a sobering Au$567k (US$385,000 GB£296,000).
It includes examples which may be of
questionable value.
See our Turbo
Kings feature, which covers the colourful
Japanese maker turbo bike history.
Power Stroker,
October 30
Here's something for the two-stroke fan
who thought they had everything, an RD/RZ350 twin restomod
bumped out to 500cc and riding on R6 running gear.
This inspired bit of work comes from
the Bolt Moto Co
in Spain.
See the feature on this machine, from Bikebound.
The RZ500
restomod we rode a while back;
Birthday for the
Bimmer, October 29
Our 2001 BMW R1150GS has been in for
surgery – mostly to replace the clutch slave cylinder and
rear main seal, but also to get a major servicing
'birthday'.
It's kind of the sacrificial anode in our
fleet, copping all the hack work which could mean anything
from shopping trolley one day or foul weather tourer the
next.
The good folk at BM
Motorcycles in sunny Melbourne (that's James in
the pic) have been twirling the spanners. We grabbed a
bit of time with proprietor Chris to get the run-down
on the foibles of this series and will soon bring you
that video story.
We've owned two of these things – see our
profile on them.
Bond bike sale
floats the boat, October 28
It's no secret that the celebrity factor
will add hugely to the value of a collectible vehicle.
The most recent example was James
Bond movie star Daniel Craig, who donated two
late-model special-edition Triumphs to a recent
auction in support of the UK Royal National Lifeboat
Institution (RNLI) which is celebrating its 200th
year.
And the machines? They were #003/250
Scrambler 1200 Bond Edition (foreground), and the
#001/250 Tiger 900 Bond Edition, both of which were
produced as an offshoot of the 25th Bond
flick (2021), No Time to Die.
Triumph Motorcycles got involved,
kicking in a ride session for the buyers with Bond
stunt co-ordinator Lee Morrison and stunt double Paul
Edmondson. Bonhams conducted the sale.
Craig had signed the bikes and noted:
“The RNLI has been close to my heart all my life since
growing up near the station at Hoylake. I am delighted
that the auction was a record success and hope the
donation will contribute to the incredible job the
RNLI do of saving lives at sea.”
How much did they sell for? The
Scrambler went for Au$55,000 (US$36,300, GB£28,000)
and the Tiger Au$62,820 (US$41,500, GB£32,000). Both
prices were well above market value for examples
without the Craig connection.
If you'd like an out-there
example of motorcycle prices and celebrity ownership,
consider this 1968 Husqvarna Viking sold back in 2021.
It had the double whammy of being the former works
race bike ridden by Bengt Aberg – who was world MX
champion in 1969-70 – and then by Steve McQueen, who
also happened to be a handy racer on two wheels and
four.
It
went for an awe-inspiring Au$282,000 (US$204,000,
GB£149,000) at the RM Sotheby's August auction in
Monterey.
Our bikes: 1999
Suzuki SV650S, October 26
Some little
while back we bought a first-gen Suzuki SV650S to keep
as a general hack and loan bike. One of our first
players was Chris Beattie, a former AMCN
Editor and founder of Heavy Duty magazine. Here are his
thoughts on it...
Roy Parker collection coming up,
October 25
You may
recall that last month we did a story on the
remarkable Roy Parker, the 97-year old who took up
bike restoration in his retirement and so far has 24
completed projects to his credit.
The majority
of them are up for auction with Donington in
Melbourne, and the sale starts on Monday, October 28.
Hidden Zed, October 24
It's
astonishing that, after all this time, low-miler gems
still emerge from the proverbial woodwork. This 1974
Kawasaki Z1 has just popped up on the market, after
being liberated from long-term storage and is claiming
just 3056 miles (4920km) on the odometer.
It's being
sold by Classic Avenue in the USA.
We have loads
of Kawasaki features online – see them here.
The amazing Curtiss, October 23
We've recently added this to the ever-expanding bookshelves and can recommend it.
Authored by Richard Leisenring and produced by Schiffer Publishing, Curtiss Motorcycles covers the heyday of the American innovator Glenn H Curtiss.
Of course it covers some astonishing machines, including the 1907 V8 built for setting speed records.
However the book also provides an insight into the breadth of Curtiss interests, including building motorcars and as a pioneer in the world of aviation.
It's readily available through a number of retailers. The Nile in Australia has it for Au$45.
The accidental
boxer, October 22
Though it may
be German, it's also allegedly Zen. Whatever...yet
again we've stumbled into BMW airhead ownership. See the story
here
How much for the
poster? October 20
If you just happen to have a poster from
the inaugural 1972 Imola 200 endurance race stuffed down
the back of the couch, now is the time to liberate it.
Auction house Bonhams recently sold one
in decent though not perfect shape, signed by winner Paul
Smart, compatriot Phil Reed, and the legendary Giacomo
Agostini. It went for
Au$10,500 (US$7000, GB£5400) including commission.
Otherwise known
as the 200 Miglia Shell de Imola, the race was was
inspired by the success of the Daytona 200 in the USA and
billed as the European equivalent.
More significantly, this was the event
that put Ducati on the global competition map, thanks to
the 1-2 result for Paul Smart and Bruno Spaggiari on 750
desmo V-twins that were the basis for the now legendary
'green frame' 750 SS.
Third in the race was Walter Villa on
a Triumph.
Though the sale price is a staggering
amount of money for a poster, the context is a pukka
green frame with a good history can be worth
Au$400,000 (US$270,000, GB£200,000).
See Ian
Falloon's Imola backgrounder.
The last
Dragonfly, October 19
The elegant and smooth Douglas
Dragonfly of the mid-1950s sadly wasn't enough to save
a company that once enjoyed TT success.
See the story
by Roland Brown, at Motorcycle Classics.
Speaking of
rare Brits – see our 1947 Sunbeam.
Ducati
Desmosedici drama, October 18
Sometimes when you buy exotic toys the
decision comes back to bite you on the wallet. USA
auction house and dealer Iconic Motorbikes has been
remarkably frank about the expensive workshop
'adventures' experienced by its current 2008 Ducati
Desmosedici with all of 1335 miles (2148km) on the
odometer. See the story
here.
Super
stroker, October 17
Remember these? Very much a child of
the 1990s, Aprilia's RS250 series offered razor-sharp
performance and astounding fun in a tiny package. See our
profile.
Flashback: the
great escape, October 16
Where did they all go? Chasing the
great CB750 mystery...see the story
here.
V6 two-stroke
Hayabusa, anyone? October 14
The front-runner for our Courageous
Engineer of the Year Award, also somewhat unkindly
known as The Frankenstein, is this: a Suzuki
Hayabusa chassis hosting a 2.7lt V6 two-stroke Suzuki
marine engine.
According to the admirable person who is tackling the build: "My current project is one I’ve been thinking about for quite a while, to build a bike using parts all made by Suzuki, fabricated by me, or made by Suzuki and modified to suit by me.
"The heart of it is a DT225 2.7 litre 2-stroke fuel injected V6 outboard motor driving a jackshaft from gears on the crankshaft into a third gear driving the clutch basket in a cut-down GSX gearbox. The whole drivetrain is shoehorned into a Hayabusa chassis and finished off with a variety of adapted body parts from various Suzuki models.
"What I’m aiming for with the finished bike is to create something that could have rolled out of a Suzuki showroom a few years ago."
No name is attached to the project,
though the person involved understandably draws
inspiration from the legendary UK motorcycle engineer
Allen Millyard.
You can see
the project page on Facebook.
This won't be the first time a marine
engine has been adapted for fast motorcycles. New
Zealander Kim Newcombe, in partnership with Australian
racer John Dodds, plus German engineer and business
owner Dieter König, famously developed the
race-winning premier-class 500cc grand prix König motorcycle
in the early 1970s.
It ran a boxer-four two-stroke engine
based on a commercially available König
marine powerplant and was developed into a formidable
if sometimes (in its early days) fragile unit. See the video
above, and this feature at bikexif.com.
Racers edge,
October 13
Similar intention but very different
execution...shed-diving today.
See our Suzuki
GSX-R1100 profile
And our Moto
Guzzi Daytona 1000 profile
Bimota bible,
October 12
Something for those of you who fancy a little exotica in
your life: Australian author Ian Falloon's
soon-to-be-released comprehensive history of the marque.
Called The Bimota Story, and published by Veloce,
it promises 288 pages and is to be released November 18. You're looking at
Au$183 from online bookshop The Nile. And yes, there
will be other retailers who have it.
We happen to have a YB11 Superleggera in the shed at the
moment – see the story and
video.
New-gen Triumph
Speed Twins, October 12
Triumph recently unveiled a
much-revised Speed Twin 1200, plus an RS sibling, due
for delivery from early 2025. See the story.
Market watch:
Vespa paratrooper, October 11
From our don't-mention-the-war department
comes this, a Vespa T150 TAP gun transport available for
sale via French purveyor of the weird and wonderful, Object Marcant.
The T150 TAP was a limited-run special
build by then French Piaggio concessionaire
Ateliers de Construction de Motocycles et
Automobiles (ACMA) from 1956 through to 1959. That
was a period when the country had recently disengaged
from a war in Vietnam (aka Indochina, at the time) and
was embroiled in conflict in Suez and Korea, among other
places.
While it may look like the perfect
thing for clearing peak-hour traffic, it was intended as a
platform for paratroopers to drop and transport a 75mm
anti-personnel gun, known as the M20 recoil-less rifle, to
a conflict.
The scooter was geared down to cope
with the load of two troops and the gun, which would be
deployed on to a tripod.
Some 600 are thought to have been made,
and the survival rate is probably low as many were perhaps
sensibly (?) converted back to road use, minus the cannon.
This one claims to have some of the grit surviving from
active use. See it here.
Speaking of military motorcycles, see our War
Babies feature.
Legendary
Waterbottle for auction, October 11
This is one of those bikes that is
emblematic of the 1970s – Suzuki's mighty GT750
Waterbottle, aka Kettle.
The triple-cylinder two-stroke claimed
around 70hp (52kW), ran a five-speed transmission, and
was good for a top speed of around 195km/h (120mph).
This series was the firm's last dance
with big all-rounder two-strokes as it was switching
its interest to four-strokes and the successful GS
series. It did however go on to produce the RG/RGV250
sports line during the 1980s and 90s, plus the RG500
GP replica in the 1980s.
This 1972 example is the first model
GT with its twin leading shoe front brake and claims
to be in exceptional unrestored condition. H and H in
the UK has it coming up for auction with an
estimate of Au$14-15,500 (US$9-10,500, GB£7-8000).
See our GT750
brochure page with links to lots of other resources.
Tech school
turbo, October 8
From our rare-find department: This 1983 Honda CX650 Turbo was recently sold by Bring a Trailer in the USA, with a mere six miles (10km) on the odometer. How so? It was donated to a tech school by Honda America, so it's probably had its tappets done a zillion times.
A presumably grateful school decided to gift the machine to a teacher on his retirement and he in turn sold it to a dealer in 2019. The recommissioned bike is said to be in great shape, though it has a minor dent in the top of the fuel tank, probably from some klutz dropping a spanner on it.
No matter, it
went for a respectable Au$27,500 (US$18,500,
GB£14,100). That's more than we'd expect to see for a
healthy example with reasonable miles on the local market.
Turbo bikes have long struggled to fetch big money.
For some the holy grail is a genuine Kawasaki USA Z1R-TC
of 1978-79, of which 500 were made. Mecum sold one in
2020 for Au$44,160 (US$29,700, GB£22,700), which may
be a record for this model.
See our Turbo
Kings backgrounder
Flashback:
Chasing the Bonneville speed dragon, October 6
Triumph's first Bonneville got off
to a surprisingly
rocky start...see the story.
Rattle, cackle
and smoke, October 5
We got a little distracted this morning,
resuscitating our 1985 Suzuki TS185ER, which has been
sitting unused for, oh, nearly a year.
It really didn't want to start, so we
shouted it fresh fuel and went nuts and cleaned the spark
plug. Of course it worked and belted around the suburbs
while filling us with the joy of spring.
That mad rattle, cackle and rich blue
smoke of an air-cooled two-stroke warming up feels like
aural violence when unleashed on modern traffic, even
though it's running a stock muffler.
We've now
owned this bike for around 30 years...see the story
here.
MotoCAP open
day, October 5
The
MotoCAP motorcycle safety gear testing site at Deakin
University in Geelong today held an open house in
partnership with the launch for Motorcycle Awareness
Month in Victoria, Australia.
Its modest facility evaluates a range of clothing and is notable for developing a lot of expertise in assessing jackets, pants and gloves. Here is our quick overview.
Motorcycle
Awareness Month Facebook page
(Pic: MotoCAP)
Hayabusa day,
October 4
We took full advantage of a rare occurrence, which is the
second consecutive sunny day in lower Victoria in living
memory (okay...that may be an exaggeration), by taking the
25th anniversary Hayabusa for a decent gallop.
Though having collected it in late January, this is the
first time it's been out of Melbourne. At some stage we'll
report back on what it's like, when we get it past the
1000 kay (600 mile) mark on the odometer.
What we can so far confirm is it's very orange, very fast
and as flash as a rat with a gold tooth with its high-end
electronics and metal-flake paint. It's great fun.
Not everyone is a fan of the big mufflers, but we reckon they work as part of the whole manga visual package.
See our Hayabusa
resources page, which includes a gen 3 review and video.
Lifetime Ducati, October 3
It's probably one of a kind. Okay, that's a big
statement, but hang in there. This 1973 Ducati 750 Sport
is a one-owner motorcycle and has been put on the market
by the gent who wandered into the Frasers Brisbane
showroom 51 years ago and laid down his hard-earned.
It's been ridden, a lot, and given a mechanical
freshen-up at some stage. It's been ridden, a lot, and
given a mechanical freshen-up at some stage. The owner has
now decided to part with it, and has it on the market at
Au$80,000 (US$55,000, GB£42,000). See it here.
See our Ducati
750 Sport backgrounder.
Adventure author
and MotoCap for awareness launch, October 3
Adventure Rider Radio stalwart, and author of The
Butterfly Route, Michelle Lamphere is among the
guests highlighted for this Saturday's launch of the
annual Motorcycle Awareness Month campaign in Victoria.
The event happens in Geelong's Transvaal
Square, from 10.30am, October 5.
Organisers promise an impromptu
motorcycle display, some great guests, plus a bundle of
prizes including MotoGP tickets.
We reckon one of the highlights is the
opportunity to visit the MotoCap rider clothing
testing facility based at Deakin University's nearby
campus. You need to book ahead for that tour and the
tickets are free.
Motorcycle
Awareness Month Facebook page
The
Butterfly Route via Amazon
Nineties
nirvana, October 2
Forgive the dodgy happy-snap...it was taken just moments after we celebrated a sunny afternoon by exercising three of our prime 1990s-derived hero sports-tourers.
In a market now dominated by very
different equipment, they represent a mostly lost era and
one which we continue to enjoy. From left to right are
Hannibal our Tainton-tuned first-gen Suzuki Hayabusa, the
first-gen Honda Blackbird and of course the first-gen
Kawasaki ZX-12R.
One day soon, we should tackle a bit of
an ownership and riding comparison. Until then, you can
discover more about these bikes here:
See our Hayabusa resources page
Honda CBR1100XX
Super Blackbird profile
Bronson, our
current Blackbird
Kawasaki ZX-12R
first-gen profile
The Beattie
Files: The Battle of Daly Waters, October 1
How a relatively
simple plan to ride Harley panheads across the
country turned into something way more dangerous
involving fireworks and a bus-load of Swedish
backpackers...see it here.
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