Lester Morris
Lester Morris is Australia’s longest-serving, and probably most published, specialist motorcycle writer, with most of his peers considering him to be ‘iconic’, or even ‘legendary’.
His first articles, on simple maintenance and safety, were published in REVS Motorcycle News in 1968.
His Two Wheels work encompassed four decades and included road tests of contemporary and classic bikes and sparkling autobiographical accounts of long rides as young man in the 1950s with his mates, including the equally legendary, and pretty scary, Fred on his Vincent.
From 1948 Lester spent over 20 years in the trade, including working at Sydney’s famed Omodeis store. His first book, Motorcycling in Australia, was published by McMillan in 1976.
Lester is also a noted race commentator, often featuring as an expert motorcycle compere on Torque, a 1970s motoring programme on ABC television.
And as if that’s not enough, he’s also a successful actor.
His book Vintage Morris: Tall Tales but True from a Lifetime in Motorcycling is just that, a memoir of his many-and-various – and often hilarious – experiences in the motorcycle industry. It’s available as a paperback or e-book from large online booksellers. Volume 2 is now available, and you can also purchase signed copies of both books from Lester by emailing him at lm2@tpg.com.au
In 2016, Lester spoke with Alan Metcalfe about his book and his lifetime love of motorcycles. See the interview here.
