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

Am I roadworthy?

OUT IN THE SHED

BUZZ BOX OLD BIKE NEWS

Under the Chequered Flag

RELUCTANT RACER • “I never took it real seriously. I must have been blessed. Everyone was so good to me.”

SHORT LIVED SINGLE • The Sebring is a 350 cc single cylinder bevel-drive SOHC produced by Ducati from 1965 to 1968. At the time of its introduction, it was the largest capacity Ducati machine, and represents the last of the narrow case models. Total production was around 3,500 machines.

1938 Indian Four

REACHING FOR THE STARS • Michael McEvoy had big plans. He wanted to attack the prestige sector of the market that was the domain of Brough Superior, which was coincidentally just up the road from his premises in Duffield, a small village near Derby in the English Midlands.

SUBSCRIBE to old BIKE for your chance to WIN!

FRERA ITALY’S FIRST MOTORCYCLE COMPANY • After visiting the Frera Museum in Dec 2022, I returned with a wonderful book ‘Frera’ by Ernesto Restelli. So began the long process of translation and internet research on Frera’s history. Most of the factory documentation was lost in a fire, so the story was compiled from collectors, workers, racers and enthusiasts.

Missing an issue • from your Old Bike Australasia collection?

Adelaide 24 Hour Centenary • During the Centenary of the legendary 24 Hour Reliability Trial, it’s time to celebrate the ironmen and women who survived Australia’s most intense test of stamina and endurance.

TWO OF THE SAME • The two-stroke twin engine that began life as the Yamaha YD1 in 1957 went on to a long and illustrious existence, culminating in the RD series before the completely redesigned LC (Liquid Cooled) models appeared. Perhaps the ultimate version of the original design was the YDS5E, also known (in America) as the Catalina Electra 250. Why Electra? Not for any relationship to the Greek Goddess of the storm clouds, but for the fact that this little twin possessed something that its quarter-litre two stroke revivals did not – an electric, push-button starter.

COMMUNICATION PLAZA A tribute to Yamaha’s heritage • For any motorcycle enthusiast, a visit to Iwata in the Shizuoka Prefecture of Japan is not complete without stopping by the Yamaha Communication Plaza, a three-floored building that houses not just significant motorcycles, but marine products, cars, various engines, all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), snowmobiles, jet-skis, bicycles, power products, industrial robots and electrical equipment. We’ll concentrate on the bikes.

A “CLASSIC TOURER” sort of. • There are articles and stories, web sites and forums that espouse the XBR500 Honda’s reason for being – that it was conceived “as a response to the Yamaha SR500”. If you study the history of both brands, I can’t see any Honda that has been produced in response to any other model/brand, except perhaps NSU.

MEGURO Gone but not forgotten • Two hours north of Tokyo at Nasukarasuyama there exists a small museum dedicated to the almost-forgotten Meguro marque.

A neat piece of kit • Today, more than ever, a motorcycle is a practical way to get around instead of adding yet another car to the thousands already there. A popular model in the Kawasaki line that has been amped-up in its latest form, the Z500 is a...