Bathurst 1983: Countdown to Glory
Andrew Johnson flops into a metal chair, mopping perspiration from a now ruddy face. His leathers have been shoved down to his waist, revealing damp maroon-toned inner silks. From across...
Bike Nut: The Doug Mulray Interview
“A Triumph 650 Bonneville was my second bike. My first – and it doesn't delight me to tell you this – was a Honda 250. When I bought the Bonneville,...
1972-1992 Harley-Davidson Sportster
Back in the early Fifties, Harley Davidson was in a quandary. Which is very much like a quarry since they both involve being stuck down a hole. The Pommies, whose...
1979-1986 Ducati Mike Hailwood Replica
It is now more than forty-four years since Mike Hailwood came out of retirement to win the 1978 TT Formula One race at the Isle of Man on an NCR...
The Muscle Act: 1980 Suzuki GS1000S, Honda CB900FZ and Kawasaki Z1000 MkII
The hyperwave of overkill has been broken upon our shores for more than a year now. Cylinder overkill (numbers), size overkill (capacity), weight overkill, complexity overkill and certainly pricing overkill....
1976-1984/1986-1992 BMW R100RS
The new flagship of the small BMW fleet is really some motorcycle, as it ought to be for a cool $4500 on the road. It is new in several regards,...
Ducati Pantah 1979-1985
Ducati has never claimed that its bikes are for everyone. Like the Italian exotic car industry, Ducati Meccanica S.p.A. does not build mediocre machinery for mediocre people. Lowest common denominators...
Once Upon a Time on a Mountain
Of the hundreds of competitors at every Bathurst meeting, maybe a dozen leave the place with memories they'll always treasure -- images that are dragged out over pots of ale...
Mr Smith: Only the Lonely
Back in the dim, distant years of my youth I immersed myself in the written word. This was due to the fact that my now unfortunately deceased uncle possessed a...
The Socket File: Fuel’s Gold
Those of you fortunate enough to have been through the Socialist education system far enough to have gained some literacy will remember that many moons have passed since I turned...
1980 BMW R80G/S
The BMW R80G/S is an important motorcycle. Not because it will sell a million. It won't. Not because it’s everyone's ideal. It may be, but it's $5000. Not because it’s...
Random Lines: Another Turn on Life’s Twisted Highway
The full-bodied bark of a Conti-ed Ducati Super Sport charging hard along the tight mountain road echoes through the valley from three, four miles away and hits me deep inside....
Wringing Bells, Part Two
In the first instalment of Wringing Bells, we left Lester Morris and his mate Fred dicing like demons between Lithgow and Bathurst. In the concluding part of this tale from...
Racing’s Greats: Eddie Lawson
At the start of 1984, leading American motorcycle journalist John Ulrich wrote a thought-provoking profile of Yamaha’s new world 500 championship team leader, Eddie Lawson. In the profile, Ulrich predicted...
Racing’s Greats: Giacomo Agostini
Italy’s Giacomo Agostini holds the all-time record for the greatest number of world championships and grand prix victories. Agostini between 1965 and 1976 won 122 grands prix in the 350...