Welcome to Classic Two Wheels
Two Wheels existed as a print publication from 1968 until 2017. As Australia’s top-selling motorcycle magazine, it chronicled the bikes, the people, the races, the rides and all the other elements of that wonderful thing we call motorcycling.
As a homegrown (and owned) Australian publication, Two Wheels throughout its 49 years also reflected the temper of the times, at any given time, in our country and how motorcyclists fitted into Australian society. It was often an uncomfortable fit.
It was my pleasure and privilege to edit Two Wheels from 1985-1988, and when it closed in 2017 I felt a sharp pang of loss, not just from professional pride but also because, like so many of us, I grew up with the magazine. It fired my desire for the machines and the freedom they gift to us every time we turn the key.
I am a lifer motorcyclist. Two Wheels was at the genesis of that.
So what’s this about? I wanted to do something to revive Two Wheels before it faded away to just a distant memory, and when I raised the idea with a bunch of fellow editors and writers from back in the day, they were pretty keen to see it brought back to life too. So here it is: Classic Two Wheels.
As the name implies, I’ve cherry-picked mainly from the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s, though you will find stories here from all six decades of the print title’s publication. Great writers are what makes any magazine, and Two Wheels had some of the best, including Brian Cowan, Kel Wearne, Peter Smith, Grant Roff and Don Cox. You’ll find their work here, and you can catch up with them on the Authors page as well.
Roadtests were the backbone of Two Wheels and many I’ve included are of machines that are now highly collectable and desirable, not least because you can now run them on club plates.
So if the bike you dreamed of as a callow, indolent youth (cough…) is now within your reach, Guy Allen from AllMoto will give you the drum on how to pick a good one, what the ownership experience is like, and how much you might pay. Links to his AllMoto stories are at the end of each relevant test, and his buying guide features are on the Buy and Sell page.
Ian Falloon, one of the world’s foremost authorities on classic machinery – especially the European marques – has also joined us.
You’ll also find stories on great races such as Bathurst and the Castrol Six Hour, great racers such as Wayne Gardner, touring features, tech, history and lots more. It’s a rolling compilation, so gems from the vault will be added on a regular basis, and we might have a bit of new writing as well.
Several Two Wheels writers have had successful media careers, publishing books and websites, and you’ll find links to their publications on their stories and Author pages. You will be reading their work here for free, so please support them if you enjoy it.
And I hope you enjoy reading Classic Two Wheels.
Bill McKinnon, Publisher, September 2020.
Contact:
Email: You’re welcome to get in touch at classictwowheels@outlook.com
We’re also on facebook
Copyright:
Classic Two Wheels is protected by copyright. In some cases, individual authors and photographers own copyright in their work and it is used here with their kind permission. In others, despite our best efforts, Dr Google and facebook, we have not been able to contact an author and/or their representatives because several decades have passed. If that’s you, please get in touch.