Honda C71Z – Rarer than rare
For most of us, Honda’s racing history begins with their 1959 incursion at the Isle of Man, where they swept the 125 class and carted off the team award. But that effort was as a […]
Articles by Old Bike
Amaroo Park – Paradise Lost
A road racing circuit, motocross track, tar hill climb, oiled-dirt short circuit (and briefly, a speedway). And less than an hour from Sydney CBD. A dream? No, for 35 years, this was Amaroo Park; the […]
Kawasaki 650 W2 SS – Roast or sukiyaki?
Imitation may be the sincerest form of flattery, but underneath the BSA-inspired veneer, the Kawasaki W-series twins had plenty of original thinking… From the time the Edward Turner-designed Triumph Speed Twin stopped British Motorcycle Show-goers […]
Geoff Mack – He’s been everywhere, man.
In 1959, it took Geoff Mack just two hours to write one of the most successful songs in Australian music history, and it’s fed him ever since. He’d been back in Australia for five years, […]
Ross Hannan – Never say die
Despite a near-death experience on the Isle of Man, Ross Hannan never lost his love for motorcycle racing, and along the way has guided several newcomers to stardom. Lying in Nobles Hospital in Douglas on […]
Agro in Assen – Riders Strike of 1955
Saturday July 30th, 1955 was a tumultuous day in the history of motorcycle Grand Prix racing. For a bunch of Australasians, it marked a watershed in their careers. It’s a tough life being an international […]
White knight – Kawasaki Z1B
By the mid 1970s, the Castrol Six Hour Production Race was the biggest thing in Australian motorcycle sport. It had grown like topsy from an argy-bargy affair in 1970, to a heavily trade supported, nationally-televised […]
Jack Forrest – The man who gave his elbow to the sport
Flashy cars, glamorous women, and a string of the best racing motorcycles money could buy. But Jack Forrest was no dilettante – he was an accomplished, brave and dedicated racer who mixed it with the […]
BSA Gold Star – All that glitters
Around the globe, Gold Star owners and fans rejoiced on June 30th as the 75th anniversary of the feat that led to the creation of the legendary model – Wal Handley’s Brooklands lap. Few motorcycles […]
Ron Toombs – King of the Mountain
In one of the sport’s greatest ironies, Ron Toombs lost his life on the very circuit where he was the acknowledged master. Had Ronald Arthur Toombs still been with us, he would have turned 80 […]
