From our Old Bike Archives – Issue 92 – first published in 2021.
Story & photos: Compiled from the original work by Danny Curran with photographs by Vern Train. • Additional photos by Rob Lewis.
68 years ago, two men set out from Melbourne on the ultimate product torture-test.
Having invested in a new factory at Benalla, Victoria, the makers of Renold motorcycle chain were keen to demonstrate the quality of the local product, marketed as Transmar. And so a plan was devised to fit two 500cc motorcycles with extra tanks and other equipment and send them off on what became known as Operation Transmatilda – a complete circumnavigation of Australia – a distance of over 11,000 miles (17,700km) – using a single chain per motorcycle for the entire journey. The chains were standard .625 inch pitch with no special protection or lubrication, and the entire event was conducted under the supervision of the Auto Cycle Union of Victoria. The route traversed few decent roads; most of the going was over rough bush tracks, rocks and deep sand.
The riders were Vern Train and Mike Lockyer, on a Triumph Speed Twin and BSA A7 respectively. Leaving the Renold works in Benalla, the pair headed for Melbourne on 24th August, 1953, taking back roads where possible to test the set up of the motorcycles and equipment. Naturally space was limited by they did include a new Paxette 35mm camera. They departed Melbourne at 10pm, arriving back at Benalla at 2.30am, whereupon they learned that the trip had been postponed for seven days!
A new start date of Tuesday 1st September, 1953 was set, giving some valuable time to rectify a few problems with the fitment of the panniers. Finally the big day arrived and the pair departed Melbourne at 10.30 am, arriving at their first overnight at Gundagai at 10pm. Heavy rain greeted them on the second day, and it was a cold and miserable ride to Goulburn where they had their log books signed at the police station before pressing on to Sydney. A 5.45 am departure had them heading to Tamworth for another overnight stop, followed by another early start. It was on the road heading north that the first major issue occurred. Swerving to avoid a cow, Mike and Triumph parted company, resulting in a bent bike with a smashed headlight. The precious camera was found 40 feet away in the bush, luckily undamaged.
Despite the mishap, the pair made it across the NSW/Qld border to Brisbane near midnight. Here there was more strife. While having the BSA’s fron brake repaired at Morgan & Wacker, somebody swiped the speedo from the Triumph which was parked outside the showroom. A further setback was an infected boil on Vernon’s hand, which needed hospital treatment. By 11th September they had reached Bundaberg, then it was on to Marlborough and Mackay and Ayr and Townsville, gravel road most of the way. During this leg Renold decided to cancel the proposed run to Cairns, notifying the riders by telegram. Traversing atrocious roads and creek crossings, Charters Towers was reached and on to Hughendon for the night. The next stop was Camooweal, past Mount Isa, then across the border into Northern Territory. Frewena, Tennant Creek and Katherine were reached before camping beside the road near the Adelaide River, three weeks after leaving Melbourne. Darwin was next, where a few days were spent refurbishing the bikes and preparing for the second half of the trip. Any equipment considered unnecessary was stripped from the luggage and sent home to reduce the loading on the bikes.
The countryside was in the grip of a most severe drought, which made the going even tougher, and in the blinding dust the pair became separated on several occasions. Broome was reached on 4th October, an overnight stop before continuing the slog through axle-deep sand. Those Renold chains were earning their keep. Whenever possible, the chains were removed, cleaned and lubricated. With 7,692 miles on the odometer, the pair rode into Perth on 13th October. It was time for some machine maintenance and a freshen up. It was Monday 19th October before the Triumph and BSA hit the road again, reaching Southern Cross on the first night out of Perth, then it was on to Kalgoorlie and the overnight stop at Norseman.
Finally the Nullarbor was behind them and they reached Vernon’s parents house in McLaren Vale, south of Adelaide on 24th October. The following day there was quite a reception in Adelaide, where their arrival had been broadcast by Renolds. There was much filming and interviews, and the precious shots from Mike’s camera were developed. The final leg was started on 10th November, heading out from Adelaide through Murray Bridge to the overnight stop at Ararat. Ballarat was reached by 11am on 11th, then on to Bacchus Marsh for lunch before reaching the Renolds factory at 3.10pm, to a small celebration with “the big shots” from the office. The odometer showed 12,065 miles on the completion of the expedition, which equated to a total distance covered of 11,367 miles (18,300km). The Triumph and BSA had proven completely reliable, with the riders carrying out regular maintenance, oil changes and air filter cleaning, plus more serious stuff like hammering out buckles in the wheel rims. Both chains were intact and well capable of further mileage. There had been plenty of spills, but no major injuries.
On Friday 13th November, Renolds Chains (Australia) Ltd hosted a lavish function at the Menzies Hotel in Melbourne, with the boys giving accounts of their exploits, the battle-weary bikes proudly displayed, and large prints of the photographs shown. The following day saw a ‘Welcome Home’ function at the Benalla Works Dining Room, with further speeches and displays. Vern and Mike were presented with gold watches by the company.
A postscript.
In 2013, Vern Train’s nephew Danny Curran and his mate Craig Birni recreated that journey, riding bikes very similar to the originals, and with support from Renolds. This trip was documented by Danny via social media and through this magazine. Many thanks to Danny for making this account and photographs of the original trip available.
Operation Transmatilda (ISBN: 978-0-646-58957-2) is available through Google Books.
