Honda CB1100R – A machine on a mission
In ten years, the Castrol Six Hour Race at Amaroo Park had established itself as the equivalent of the Bathurst 1000 four-wheeler classic. The scrutineering was as tough as the race itself, and for the […]
Bikes
Ducati 450 ‘Silver Shotgun’ – A bike to put a sparkle in your eye
When you mention Vincent HRD, just about everyone thinks of the big vee-twin, the legendary Phil Irving-designed machine that is today one of the most valuable and collectable motorcycles on the planet. Likewise Ducati; the […]
Mini Marvels – A pair of works Lambretta racers
Strange looking devices they may have been, but the Lambretta C Racers were effective, if ephemeral in a competition sense. During the Second World War, when Allied troops began the invasion of Rome, British bombers […]
Norton Commando – Taking command
The Norton Commando is one of the most uniquely styled motorcycles of all time, with its share of detractors and well as legions of fans. Here are two examples of a different spin on a […]
Katana – The Suzuki born in Bavaria
The boom in big-capacity motorcycles that began in the late 1960s continued unabated a decade later, and the annual end-of-year shows, in Milan and Cologne (which rotated year about) and Tokyo always contained a few […]
Rumi 125 – A Latin love affair
In a sea of Bantam BSAs on Victorian race tracks in the late 1950s, Ian Free’s Rumi stood out like the proverbial dog’s bits. Not only was it Italian, but it was a twin-cylinder 125, […]
A Multitude of Manxes
“How would you like to test a few Manx Nortons while you’re at Pukekohe?” This was Kevin Grant speaking – one of the main movers behind the enormously successful annual meeting in New Zealand. “How […]
The Ultimate Street Fighter – Mark Walker’s “Big Ned”
“I’ve never had a job. I just work on motorbikes.” This is a somewhat curious statement from a somewhat complex man. Mark Walker, by his own admission, has been around motorcycles all his life. A […]
Bultaco Metralla – Bully for you
By all accounts, Francisco Xavier Bulto (also known as ‘Paco’) was a formidable man with a typically robust Latin personality, and he loved motorcycle racing with a passion shared by legions of his countrymen. It […]
Late thrust – 1969 BSA Rocket 3
If only BSA could have put aside their propensity to dither and put their new triple into production earlier, things may have been a lot different… Considering that the BSA/Triumph Group was hardly in robust […]
