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News Sep-Oct 2025
The great BSA
fuel tank fail – Sunday shed wrap, Oct 6
A
cock-up and a change of plan – it
has a happy ending...
Flashback:
MV Agusta F4 – future collectible, Oct 4
Over 25 years ago and after a decades-long 'drought', the revival of the MV Agusta marque was big news – did they get it right? See the story here.
See the F4 1000 Nero in our shed
Shed
find: Radio Rider and newspaper classifieds, Oct
2
We tripped over this during a recent attempt to clean out the shed – an exercise that was an utter failure. It's a clip of the 13 February, 1993, edition of the motorcycle section of The Age newspaper (Melbourne, Australia), which featured every Saturday.
By this time the famous
rivers of gold (the classifieds) were dwindling thanks
to a tough economy and competition from specialist
classified magazines such as Just Bikes and
then Motorcycle Trader. Then they got hit with
the popular uptake of internet use and a tsunami of
digital competition.
Motorcycle columnist
Damien Kingsbury (now Professor K) wrote a piece on
3RRR's Radio Rider, while there were plenty of
tasty offerings in the ads.
See the full
version of the pics, here.
Vincent auction gets buoyant prices, Oct 1
Good identification and condition
underpin values in a market that's more robust
than many thought...see the
story.
See the series C Rapide in our shed
Keith
Campbell bio coming soon, Sep 30
The first Australian to win a Grand Prix World Championship on two wheels or four is to be celebrated in a much-awaited biography written by renowned motorcycle racing historian Don Cox. See the story here.
Boxer
bliss – today's random bike ad, Sep 29
We love the happy glamour in this BMW ad featuring the Americanised R75/5 in 'toaster' form.
Back in 1970-74, this was the king of the boxer twin heap. While it wasn't as powerful as many of its rivals, BMW highlighted it was lighter than pretty much all of them and argued it was a better ride.
However pricing was steep. In this era it was typically 40-50 per cent higher than an equivalent Honda.
See the contemporary
road test – and some sidebars – at Classic Two
Wheels.
See the BMW R75/6 in
our shed.
Yamaha
XT225 and a compelling six, Sep 28
Sunday shed wrap: simple trail bikes and
misdirection.
Le
Dan's home-made V4 – video of the week, Sep 27
This week's video features the very clever Le Dan – Vietnam's answer to the creative British engineer Allen Millyard.
Here he scratch-builds a V4 engine from a host of small capacity Honda parts and it sounds as though it runs beautifully. See the video here.
And Allen Millyard's channel here.
Vincent auction underway, Sep 25
Donington Auctions in
Australia has a Vincent auction underway with three
motorcycles: a 1954 Series C Black Shadow (pictured),
a 1948 Series B Rapide and 1952 Series C Comet.
There is also a wealth
of literature and paraphernalia on offer.
Bidding for the bikes
seems pretty strong, with the Comet reaching reserve
several days ahead of deadline. The sale closes on
September 30.
See the
Series C Touring Rapide in our shed.
VicRoads
club plate survey, Sep 25
VicRoads (the vehicle
registration and licensing authority in Victoria,
Australia) is testing the market for allowing custom
plate on club permit vehicles, instead of the current
maroon and white offering.
The scheme allows
vehicles aged 25 years and over limited use at a
greatly reduced registration cost.
Suzuki
GS1000G – retro brochure for the day, Sep 24
They were tough, they
were heavy, they handled pretty well for the day, they
performed, had what was the most comfortable seat in
motorcycling and could trace their roots to some very
successful racers – meet the Suzuki GS850/1000/1100G
series of the 1980s.
Does
it smell like a bike shop? Sep 23
Coffee and air-freshener seem to be the
scents of a modern motorcycle dealership. Shouldn't it
be oil and sweaty leather? See the
story, here.
Rare
Kawasaki stroker, Sep 22
You don't see examples
of Kawasaki KR-1 and KR-1S series pop up very often.
Wickedly fast, they had a reputation for being a
little fragile, though the issues can be fixed.
This one is with Brad's
Vintage Cycle Sales in Queensland, priced at
Au$17,500 (US$11,500, GB£8500, €9800).
See the Kawasaki
reviews on our features page.
Recalls and
breakdowns and the T160 – Sunday shed wrap, Sep 21
Chewed-out bearings and a big job list
In-demand
Ducatis – auction action, Sep 20
We were a little
surprised to see the result for this 2004 Matrix
edition Ducati 998 with 11,000km (7000 miles) on the
odo, sold by Bring
a Trailer for Au$44,000 (US$29,000, GB£21,500, €24,700).
The bike is a standard
998 Biposto under the paint and was created as a
replica of the 996 that starred in a key chase scene
in the 2003 movie Matrix
Reloaded.
Meanwhile we were intrigued to see what may be a record
result for a 1993 Ducati 900 Superlight with 2100km (1300
miles). It went for
Au$42,300 (US$27,900, GB£20,700, €23,800).
The 900 series of this era has really struggled in the
market. See Ian Falloon's
model profile.
The end of the
road – Luxo Tour day 3, Sep 19
Well, that wasn't meant to happen!
The trip was going swimmingly, as we
crossed into Queensland via Goondiwindi. Then, before long
there was oil escaping from the rear of the shaft drive
and a nasty rumbling sound. And so ended the
trip...more here.
Flashback:
that seventies show, Sep 19
"And then, finally, the proverbial penny dropped with a giant clang...I was in fact travelling in a little time bubble – circa 1975. Of course, the Kingswood and the Triumph T160 - all we needed was Captain and Tennille blaring from the eight-track stereo to complete the picture."
See the story
Just
a little bit lost – Luxo Tour day 2, Sep 18
Okay, so I got distracted. As anyone who has followed the Newell Highway over the years will know, there is no great mystery to it. Follow the sodding signs! And then someone shut the road...see the story.
Honda
VF1000R – random brochure for the day, Sep 17
Top-shelf finish,
gear-driven cams and a serious sporting stance meant
the 1984 VF1000R added up to an exotic machine that
cost 50 per cent more than the 'cooking model'
VF1000F.
If had the misfortune to
get tainted by the camshaft and camchain issues that
plagued the F-series V-fours of the day and didn't
last long in the market.
Nevertheless, a good one
today still counts as an interesting and exciting
ride.
See the
data and a contemporary review at Motorcycle
Specs.
Luxo Tour Day 1
– Mechanics Institute and turtle rescue, Sep 17
It was one of those days when I got away
to a late start, but we still managed to trip over one or
two interesting sights and rescue a freaked out turtle. See the story
here.
Luxo
Tour preview, Sep 16
Been nowhere, charged a battery,
got rained on – such is the life of the interstate
commuter...see our
kick-off for the Briz-Melb run.
Astonishing
result for Kawasaki Z1A, Sep 16
From our Surreal
Auctions Department comes this, an astonishing result
for an admittedly clean, unused and perfect 1974
Kawasaki Z1A 900.
Sold by Mecum in the USA on August
14, it went for Au$123,700 (US$82,500, GB£60,500,
€70,000). See it
here.
Kawasaki Z1/900-series prices have
fluctuated over recent years.
And a tip for sellers: despite
that result, do not under any circumstances shoot
your classic motorcycle or car for sale on grass,
unless you want it on the cover of Lawn Mower
Fancier magazine. It's completely out of
context and is just wrong. See our
patented, free, and easy guide on how to shoot
your bike for sale.
Vincent
auction, Sep 15
This 1948
Vincent-HRD series B Rapide is part of the
upcoming Doningtons auction, out of Melbourne.
It's an Australian-delivered bike that's listed as
having matching numbers, with an estimate of
Au$80-100,000 (US$53-67,000, GB£39-49,000,
€45-57,000).
The sale includes a wealth of
memorabilia, this motorcycle, plus a series C
Black Shadow and Comet. It runs
September 22-30.
See the series C Touring Rapide in our shed
Big
sixes and a pile of parts – Sunday shed wrap, Sep
14
The
culture at Chateau Guido is all the machines
are ridden and not turned into static
displays. Making that a challenge was, over
the last several weeks, it started raining
every time I picked up the keys to take
something nice for a run.
In recent days, with a
bit of a break in the curtains of drizzle crossing the
city, we started getting a few toys out for a run.
The three-day list of
what we rode looks a little ridiculous...see the story.
Classic
Kawasaki muscle, Sep 13
High on the list of the many bikes we regret selling over
the years is one of these, a Kawasaki ZRX1200R. These
days, the 1100/1200 series seems to be thin on the ground,
having either been worn out or desperately held on to by
owners who appreciate them.
A variant we reckon that's overlooked is the ZRX1200S with the more substantial fairing. We spotted a 2001 example on Bikesales in Australia, claiming just 24,000km (15,000 miles) with a good service record, priced at Au$8500 (US$5700, GB£4200, €4800). Potentially, that's a lot of bang for the buck.
Plus the one that
used to be in the shed
Indiana
Jones outfit gets top money, Sep 12
The KMZ/Dneiper K-650
outfit that stars in the Steven Spielberg movie Indiana
Jones and the Last Crusade was auctioned on
September 4 and fetched incredible money.
Cobbled-up for the
famous motorcycle chase scene, it had Harrison Ford on
the bike and Sean Connery in the sidecar.
Handled by Prop Store Auction in
the USA, it had a broad pre-sale estimate of
Au$60-120,000 (US$40-80,000, GB£30-60,000,
€34-68,000).
However it ended up selling for a staggering Au$208,000 (US$138,600, GB£102,000, €118,000).
How
much for the Honda CX Turbo? Sep 11
A recent Bring a Trailer auction
saw a 1983
Honda CX650 turbo with 2900 miles (4700km)
on the odo fetch a very strong Au$31,000
(US$20,500, GB£15,200, €17,500).
That's not a record for this
model in the USA, as Mecum scored Au$33,300
(US$22,000, GB£16,300, €18,800) for
an example showing just six miles in a
January 2025 sale.
It needs be remembered that
exceptional condition and low or nil use are
crucial to fetch these prices. Well-used
examples, no matter how clean, can expect half
those numbers at best and usually less.
Part of the appeal of the
CX650 Turbo is the bigger and better-developed
engine. Normally, the first edition of any
model is the valuable one, but that position
appears to be reversed in this case.
Mecum
sold a 1982 CX500 Turbo with two miles on
the odo earlier this year for Au$28,300
(US$18,700, GB£13,800, €16,000).
The Honda CX turbos hark back
to the 'good old days', or mid-1980s, when all
four major Japanese makers felt they had to
have a turbo bike in play. All of them
flat-lined in the showroom.
Get
a DecoPod, Sep 11
If you really want to stand out from the crowd at the next coffee cruise, here's a solution: a 2009 DecoPod being auctioned out of the USA by Classic Avenue.
Artist
Randy Grubb built a dozen individual art deco-styled
versions based on Piaggio two- and three-wheeled
underpinnings, which he refers to as Flash Gordon
personal mobility devices. This one is running a
Piaggio Fly 150 rolling chassis.
They achieved
some fame when comedian and collector Jay Leno
reviewed two MP3 250-based versions on his YouTube
channel. See the video.
He comments, "There is fun and then there is stupid
fun. This is stupid fun."
Grubb also
designed a couple of high-profile cars for Leno,
including the Tank Car and DecoLiner. See Leno's
YouTube channel.
The
nicest Honda four? Sep 8
It's very much up for
debate, but you could make a case for the CB400F being
the nicest of the Honda pack of the late 1960s through
to the seventies.
It certainly had the
most beautiful exhaust system, with sinuous headers
collecting into a single muffler making a unique style
statement.
Bonhams has a new-old-stock
example from 1977 (the final year of production)
with near enough to zero miles coming up for
auction. The
CB400F2 carries an estimate of AU$21-25,000
(US$14-16,000, GB£10-12,000, €12-14,000).
See our
mini Honda CB400F profile
Sunday
Shed Wrap: where's the paperwork for the Vincent?
Sep 7
Having been involved in both the classic car and bike worlds over recent years, one thing you can't help noticing is the increasing value attached to good paperwork. It's effectively the same as for the antique and art sphere, where provenance is important and often critical.
Early
GSX-R1100s are in demand, Sep 6
It seems that
good-quality first-model Suzuki GSX-R1100s are very
much in demand, with two examples selling recently in
record time.
The first was the blue
and white example shown here, with just under 12,000km
(7500 miles) on the odometer, priced at $18,750
(US$12,400, GB£9100, €10,500).
Next was a red and black
1987 version with 23,000km (14,000miles). It was
priced at $18,500 (US$12,200, GB£900, €10,350).
Both were sold within a day of
being listed, via Brad's
Vintage Cycles in Queensland.
When new, they were sold in Australia for around Au$10,000 (US$6600, GB£4850, €5600).
While they may be getting on in
age, early GSX-R1100s still count as a quick and
interesting ride while being relatively
straight-forward to maintain.
See our
profile on the series.
Flashback:
the fly-ride Bimmer, Sep 4
Some time back we got
the brilliant idea of flying into Alice Springs from
Melbourne to collect a BMW R100GS Paris-Dakar which
had been paid for, but not actually seen in the
proverbial flesh.
How did it go? Pretty well, though
the 2300km
(1400 miles) ride
back home had its awkward moments...see the
story, here.
Zero
Motorcycles Australia liquidation, Sep 2
The remaining stock held
by Zero Motorcycles Australia is being auctioned by
Pickles across four concurrent liquidation sales at
six locations, running September 11-16.
Some 421 lots are being offered and this is one of the consequences of the breaking up of the Peter Stevens retail group in recent months.
Australia has proven to be a tough
market for Zero, with false starts dating back to
2009 and then 2017, and in
early 2024.
The sheer volume being offered
would suggest there may be some bargains to be
had, albeit in a flooded market.
A quick scan suggests the machines
generally have compliance plates and it would be worth
checking that detail and for the presence of a charging
cable before you jump in with a bid.
Random
brochure for the day – mid-sized Zed, Sep 2
With numerous variations
produced across several years, the Z550/KZ550 series
was widely admired for being a light and responsive
mount with plenty of performance for its day.
As has often been the
case, the middleweight in this family were arguably
more fun to ride than their bigger brethren.
See the 1980
Cycle World review
And data
for the 1979 model at Motorcycle Specs
Hero
replica Ducati, Sep 1
We have been observing the auction results for limited edition late-model motorcycles, such as this 2023 Ducati V4 Panigale Bagnaia, with interest.
Our
background concern is so many 'limited edition' models
have been produced by various makers in recent years
that they are at risk of creating a glut in the
market.
This 2023-themed model (produced in 2024) was one of just 263 made – a compelling number. However that dilutes a little when you realise there were five Panigale limited editions launched that year. See the Cycle World summary.
In any case, the bike you see here was as desirable as it gets in this market niche – zero use and all the peripheral but critical add-ons such as the documents in their factory cases.
Located in Perth, Australia, it sold via Collecting Cars for Au$52,500 (US$34,400, GB£11,000, €11,000).
When new,
Ducati quoted around Au$110,000 (US$73,000, GB£54,000,
€62,000) with variations for where it was to be
delivered.
The catch for
anyone who buys a limited edition motorcycle is that
contrived rarity alone does not make it valuable –
there needs to be more to the story.
In addition,
we have some concerns about the proliferation of the
idea, as we
outlined last March in this piece.
***
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