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News November 2024

2-stroke single to 4-stroke six – 50 years of start-ups, Nov 21

suzukiTS185ER

honda
              cbx1000b

Just for the sheer hell of it, we thought we'd share nine quick start-up and walk-around vids from the Donington classic bike auction in Melbourne Australia that begins on Monday. It covers a motley crew of toys from 1947 through to 1997.

Our favourites? The bass rumble of the 77-year-old Sunbeam, contrasting with the ripping-silk note of the CBX Honda six.

See them here.

And see the auction cattledog, here.

Drysdale V8 auction, Nov 20

drysdale
              v8

A Drysdale V8, an example of the machine brewed up by Melbourne (Australia) engineer Ian Drysdale during the 1990s and into the 2000s, is up for auction via Donington.

drysdale
              v8

It was one of a few Aussie start-ups on this theme and managed to find a modest number of buyers despite the fairly hefty pricing necessitated by the hand-built nature of the machine.

The heart was formed using two Yamaha FZR400 top ends mated on a common crankcase at 90 degrees. Of the assorted attempts across the world to create something like this, it was arguably the most successful.

See the auction listing here;

And the backgrounder at odd-bike.com

Plus the auction catalogue which has incorporated some interesting toys in the last few days.

'Busa mail, November 18

suzuki hayabusa

It came as a weird thrill today to get email and SMS reminders from Suzuki, and the local road admin, that the 25th Anniversary generation 3 Hayabusa we bought a year ago was due for an oil and rego renewal. How the world has changed...once upon a time you might have received a letter in the post. Or not.

The lovely new toy turned up earlier than expected (late 2023) and capped off a busy year for the Hayabusa end of the shed.

suzuki hayabusa

We started with just one: Hannibal, the first-gen bike modified by Phil Tainton to produce 209hp at the back tyre.

Then we bought the new chap.

suzuki hayabusa

Mere weeks after, a stock-as-a-rock 1999 model in the hero colour was added to the shed.

We've recently conducted a major cull of the fleet (down from 30-ish to 20-ish) and the three Hayabusas remain.

Oh and there's a surprise new entrant...more to come.

See our Hayabusa resources page.

Instructors wanted, November 18

baylink motorcycle training

The good folk at Baylink Motorcycle Training Centre, on the Mornington Peninsula south of Melbourne, are looking for instructors.

You'll need to be an active motorcyclist with a Cert IV in training and assessment.

The company promises:
Flexible, casual employment;
Above award wages;
Friendly, relaxed work environment and culture;
Located on the beautiful Mornington Peninsula in Hastings – no peak hour
traffic!

Email anthony@baylinkmc.com.au

Single solution, November 17

yamaha sr500

With the SR500 Club annual rally coming up next weekend, we figured it was time to dust off the Cousin-Russell-mobile and take it for a spin to check it's still happily thumping away. Once the rain stops...in the meantime, here's our profile on the bike.

Ben Galli pic

Shed ghosts, November 16

Suzuki katana 1100

One of the joys and traps of owning a string of motorcycles over the decades is that some come back to haunt you. This Suzuki Katana 1100 is one...see our story on the theme.

What's on your list?

Image by Ellen Dewar

King Zed, November 15

kawasaki ZZ-r1100

Flashback: When sports-tourers ruled the earth, Kawasaki was king...see our profile on the mighty ZZ-R1100.

Desmo auction, November 15

Ducati 450

Donington in Melbourne, Australia, is limbering up for another collectible motorcycle auction, starting November 25. This circa 1974 Ducati 450 Desmo looks tempting...see the listing here.

And Ian Falloon's backgrounder on this series.

You can see the auction here...more lots are being added next week.

Seventies trail hero, November 13

honda
              xl250

Remember these from the 1970s? Honda's XL250 kick-started quite a few riding 'careers' over time and finding a good early example like this 1975 model has become a challenge. It sold recently through Bring a Trailer in the USA for Au$5600 (US$3650, GB£2900).

honda xl350

We'll confess to owning its big brother some time ago, the XL350. See our quick profile.

Trident trials, November 10

Triumph T160

Our lovely Triumph T160 has been off the road for some months, maybe a year, thanks to some relatively minor problems and a lack of time to deal with them.

However, a recent shed cull means we hopefully have time to focus on it again. We'll bring you up to date once we drag it out, coughing and spluttering, from under its dust sheet.

When working properly, they're a delightful ride. This one turned up in our shed just over a decade ago and you can see what we thought of it back then.

Here's a 2019 review of them from Bennetts in the UK;


And a Classic Motorcycle Mechanics engine rebuild video with Chris Roberts.

Collectible Blade, November 10

2007
              honda cbr1000RR repsol replica nicky hayden

There was a time when Honda FireBlades were in the thick of the multi-way sports bike battle, at relatively affordable prices. The company produced some special editions to liven up the showroom, and this Repsol racer replica from 2007 is a good example.

It was produced to celebrate American Nicky Hayden's 2006 MotoGP championship win.

He went on to have an interesting race career after that feat, but his life was cut short in 2017 by collision between his bicycle and a car.

However his memory appears to live on. This 2007 Honda CBR1000RR Repsol, with just 43 miles on the odo, has just sold via Bring a Trailer for Au$44,500 (US$29,250, GB£22,700). It came with a solid pack of Hayden-related memorabilia.

Our memory of this generation FireBlade is that it was a thoroughly enjoyable bit of kit.

Before you get too excited over the price, remember that an example like this with next to zero miles is catnip for collectors. Plus the associated memorabilia has far more cultural traction in the USA than it does here.

We quickly checked bikesales for the local 2009 version of this model, and two turned up, priced around Au$10-13,500 (US$6700-8600, GB£5000-6700).

Nevertheless we have heard of a very low-mile collector condition example which sold in Australia (on the tail-end of Covid) for Au$35,000 (US$23,000, GB£18,000), compared to a new price of around $18,000 (US$12,000, GB£9200).

honda
              fireblade

More recently, Honda has gone upmarket with litre-class CBR1000s. The current offering is the CBR1000RR-R SP (?!) priced from Au$38,825 (US$25,600, GB£20,000).

honda cbr900rr fireblade

We have a soft spot for the original CBR900RR, an example of which we owned for a while. See our collectible profile which has a video, a period road test, and lots of other resources.

Flashback: the day Suzuki rediscovered its GSX-R mojo, November 8

suzuki gsx-r1000

It's late in year 2000 and Suzuki is in the throes of launching its feisty new-gen GSX-R1000. Lighter and more powerful than the then one-year-old Yamaha R1, it put Hamamatsu back in the litre-class sports bike game.

See our profile from a few years ago

And the Hamamatsu Suzuki Plaza website

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.


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