Old Bike Australasia

Old Bike magazine is a must for those who ride as well as the dedicated enthusiast and rebuilder, covering everything from Vintage to early 1980s bikes - marvel at the restoration of machines that could still sit proudly on the showroom floor. Each issue brings you the latest news and results from recent events, race reports and Rally Roundup, along with new and old bike news and reviews, readers letters, Club Directory, What’s On and much, much more.

EDITOR’S LETTER

Old Bike Australasia

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

OUT IN THE SHED

Buzz Box OLD BIKE NEWS

Mechanic, Racer and Norton Devotee • I met Joe Costin only a couple of times in the early ‘seventies, at his motorcycle workshop in Ipswich Road, Annerley, a suburb of Brisbane. More on that later in the story. For those who never knew Joe, he was a Brisbane motorcycle racing identity from the ‘forties to the ‘seventies. He competed in most motorcycle disciplines including trials, hill climbs, short circuit, dirt track, grass track, speedway and road racing, on a variety of machines.

Memories of Joe Costin

Twins versus singles • Post war, Scrambles/Motocross was all about big, heavy singles. The burly Belgian, Auguste Mingels (known as the Man Mountain due to his brawny build and legendary strength) won two World 500cc Championships riding FN and later Saroléa machines. A serious knee injury halted his command, and when he returned he experimented with a Sarloéa fitted with a twin-cylinder Triumph engine, without much success. Around the same time, the British star Les Archer tried a twin cylinder Dominator motor in his extremely potent Norton which normally used a long-stroke Manx engine, but was unimpressed and canned the idea.

“TRY IT. YOU’LL LIKE IT.” • Initially resisted on the showroom floor, the Yamaha TRX 850 has become very collectable.

A race of their own • The inaugural Imola 200 of 1972, held on 23rd April, has been deeply etched into history as the day when Ducati hit the spot; Paul Smart and Bruno Spaggiari taking an unlikely but enormously popular 1-2 in this prestigious event, dubbed, “The Daytona of Europe”. It was a trifle lucky too; the Ducati duo had just three cylinders, nine gears and about one litre of fuel between them when the chequered flag fell. But there was another Italian marque that made its presence felt that day, albeit to a much lesser extent.

A Herculean effort • Typically of NSU, one of the most forward-thinking companies in motorcycle history, and one of the most successful, the so-called Felix Wankel rotary design was of great interest. But without the involvement of NSU’s engineers Froede and Paschke, it would have been an entirely different story.

The sands of time Bakers Beach, Tasmania • Hard-packed sand makes an ideal surface for motorcycle racing. The Northern Coast of Tasmania has a number of such beaches, suitable for speed events, due to the pounding the coast takes from strong waves from Bass Straight.

A brave move fuelled by passion • There are many melancholy stories littered in the annals of motorcycle history, among them that of Benelli, the Pesaro-based family company that began in 1911.

GREAT GIFT IDEA • SUBSCRIBE NOW!

A famous name breaks new ground • Everyone’s into Adventure models these days, and why not? Getting away from it all, even for short breaks, has a lot to be said for it.

User-friendly. Pocket-friendly. • It has been one of my regrets that I haven’t had the opportunity to ride one of the variants of the Royal Enfield 650 yet. This all changed recently when the editor asked me to represent OBA at the Royal Enfield 650 Classic model release held at Hepburn Springs in Victoria. A two-day fest of ride and presentation to acquaint the press with this latest variation of the 650 Enfield.

OUT’N’ABOUT •...