Winifred Wells: Our First Lady
Solo back-to-back transcontinental rides put Winifred Wells on the map but her full circuit of Australia confirmed her eminence among our moto pioneers. “When I was eleven years old I stood in the kitchen and […]
Year: 2019
Rated XR – Harley-Davidson XRTT
If there is one enduring image that defines the XRTT, it is of the unassuming Californian Cal Rayborn serving it up to the Brits in the Trans Atlantic Match Race series in 1972. Not only […]
The Twin Cold Shoulders: Gnoo Blas Circuit, Orange NSW
Rivalry in motor sport is not uncommon. But in the case of the long defunct Gnoo Blas circuit in Orange, 285 km west of Sydney, motor racing was simply the common factor in an intense […]
Liberty Yamaha – The Australian Yamaha
Designed in Australia and built in Japan. This is how the press cuttings of 1960 described the Liberty Yamaha Ranch model which was derived from the 1959 Yamaha YDS1 250cc sports motorcycle. Designed and manufactured […]
Chesterfield Superbike Series: Part 2
From a wobbly start, the Chesterfield Superbike Series had rounded off the 1973 season in a big way, and Chesterfield took little convincing to continue their involvement. The original ‘5000’ tag disappeared for the simple […]
Chesterfield Superbike Series: Part 1
These days, the term Superbike has slipped into the language as a definitive term just like Biro or Hoover. It proliferated in Europe and particularly America in the mid 1970s, but make no mistake, Superbike […]
Honey, I shrunk the Goldie!
We have met Phil Reeves before in the pages of OBA. He’s the chap with the insatiable appetite for BSA Bantams, to the point that his shed now holds around 35 examples of the little […]
1976 Australian TT – Il Scandolo Grande!
A concept that promised the world, ended up delivering much less, particularly to investors. What the crowd got however, had never been seen before in Australia. It was history in the making… When something seems […]
Spin Doctors: The Rotary Valve Cylinder Head
The rotary valve cylinder head has been around longer than the motorcycle, falling into, and out of favour on a regular basis. There’s a school of thought that says this system offers so many advantages […]
Fourth time lucky for Rennie at Pikes Peak
The 97th running of the Pikes Peak Hill Climb in Colorado produced the first-ever Australian winner – none other than Rennie Scaysbrook, our California based son and motorcycle journalist. Rennie was making his fourth attempt […]
