Gilera Saturno Sanremo: Mistaken identity
Tony McAlpine had a reputation for being a forceful character, both on and off the track. From the time he first appeared as a teenager in Miniature TT (unsealed circuits) around Sydney in the late […]
Articles by Old Bike
1971 Honda CB125S – Little ripper
Robust, attractive, reliable and frugal to own and run. What more could you want in a motorcycle? Story and photos: Jim Scaysbrook In 1970, while killing time prior to sailing for England to chance my […]
Harry Hinton: A Racing Life
The Isle of Man mountain course is unique in its sheer abundance of natural hazards, which are rarely tolerant of errors of judgement or mistakes. Those who have taken on the Mountain respect it, for […]
BMW R69S – The ultimate flat twin?
BMW had something to prove – that their venerable twin was capable of more than just comfortable touring. The R69S was the answer. Story: Jim Scaysbrook with thanks to Damien Cook and Adrian Vergison for […]
Z1 Kawasaki: New York steak… well done.
It was late 1972 when the Z1 arrived in Australia, initially in very small numbers. But the Z1 story had begun almost six years previously at Kawasaki’s Akashi factory in central Japan; the task being […]
Laurie Boulter: Cover up at Handley’s Corner
Like many aspiring racers, the war robbed Laurie Boulter of perhaps his best years. But despite being on the wrong side of thirty, the South Australian resumed his career after the war and had a […]
Tracks in Time: Flinders Naval Depot
As post-war public road closures for racing became more and more difficult, the search was on for suitable stretches of tarmac where motorcycles could be raced in anger. East of Melbourne, the bike brigade found […]
SR60-Australia: A speedway dream
The SR60 was one man’s dream of building an all Australian machine to beat the ESOs, Jawas and JAPs that dominated the sport. Story: Dave Basham with input from Steve Magro, Alan Jones • Photos: Jim […]
Gregg Hansford: Talent to burn
The Gregg Hansford versus Warren Willing battles define the ‘seventies period of Australian motorcycle racing. Yet despite prodigious skill, both left careers unfulfilled… for different reasons. Story: Jim Scaysbrook • Photos: Rob Lewis, Michael Andrews, Warren […]
Greeves BSA 350 – Specials have the most fun
Derek Pickard explains how he built a very unusual classic trials bike in the 1980s, then sold it, and 20 years later bought it back to convert it for road use. Story: Derek Pickard • Photos: […]