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News October-November 2024

Fifties rapid transit at auction, November 5

ariel square four

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;

And our story on Roy Parker;

Plus, read about our epiphany after finally swinging a leg over one.

Recycled Rickman, November 3

rickman honda

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

suzuki gsx1100E

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

kawasaki
              z1r tc collection

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

Yamaha
              RZ350 restomod Bolt Motor Co

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.

See our quick RZ350 profile;

Our RZ/RD500 profile;

The RZ500 restomod we rode a while back;

And our Suzuki RG500 profile.

Birthday for the Bimmer, October 29

BMW R1150GS

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.

bmw r1150gs

We've owned two of these things – see our profile on them.

Bond bike sale floats the boat, October 28

daniel craig triumphs james bond

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.

husqvarna viking steve mcqueen

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

suzuki sv650

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

Roy Parker

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.

See the feature and video.

The sale can be found here.

Hidden Zed, October 24

Kawasaki
              z1

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

Glenn H Curtiss

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.

curtiss v8

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

bmw r75/6

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

imola 200 1972
              poster

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

douglas
              dragonfly

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.

Sunbeam S7

Speaking of rare Brits – see our 1947 Sunbeam.

Ducati Desmosedici drama, October 18

ducati
              desmosedici

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

aprilia rs250

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

honda cb750

Where did they all go? Chasing the great CB750 mystery...see the story here.

V6 two-stroke Hayabusa, anyone? October 14

suzki
              hayabusa v6 marine meggatech

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

gsx-r1100 guzzi
              daytona 1000

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

the bimota
              story

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.

bimota yb11

We happen to have a YB11 Superleggera in the shed at the moment – see the story and video.

Falloon home page

New-gen Triumph Speed Twins, October 12

triumph
              speed twin

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

vespa gun transport

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

suzuki gt750

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.

Plus our GS-G series feature.

Our RG500 feature.

And our RG250 profile.

Tech school turbo, October 8

Honda CX650
              Turbo

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.

kawasaki z1r tc

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
              bonneville

Triumph's first Bonneville got off to a surprisingly rocky start...see the story.

Rattle, cackle and smoke, October 5

suzuki ts185er

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

motocap

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

suzuki hayabusa

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.

suzuki hayabusa

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

ducati 750
              sport

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

michelle lamphere

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

MotoCap tickets

Adventure Rider Radio

Michelle Lamphere home page

The Butterfly Route via Amazon

Nineties nirvana, October 2

90s hero sport
              tourers

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:

Hannibal's home page

See our Hayabusa resources page

Honda CBR1100XX Super Blackbird profile

Bronson, our current Blackbird

Kawasaki ZX-12R first-gen profile

Getting to know our example

The Beattie Files: The Battle of Daly Waters, October 1

harley
              panhead

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.

News archive

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