MOTOR CYCLE MADNESS

"I Say! a rather sporting way to carve up some two lane blacktop!"

Motorcycles weren't much of a presence around me when I was growing up. I wasn't interested in motorcycles as a kid. They were a poor man's transport  (especially for the younger man) When I was about 10, the doctor's son next door to us bought an AJS of either 350 or 500 capacity. He treated me to a quick blast around the back streets of Randwick now and then. It was a fun thing at the time. Later, my cousin, who was a Leichhardt "Bodgie", became a role model for me because he looked "cool" and knew how to talk the talk. He also happened to play pumpin' boogie piano with considerable talent. He owned a black Matchless 500 single which he wielded with flair with its impressive exhaust note.

A Frog 500
Model Aircraft Motor

As a schoolboy of the time, I busied myself with the then current craze of powered model aircraft on control lines. The suburbs were buzzing with 'em throughout the fifties. My world consisted of Frog "500s", Glow Chief 6cc and Taipan 2.5 cc powered control line models. From reading hot rod magazines we knew we had to do secret things to these motors to "improve " them.

Speedway Midget

Another Speedway Midget 

How to make a Harley "pump"
use Ariel OHV barrels+heads

More Harley performance Improvements
Thanks to Norton OHV Heads

When I got my second car (a Hillman ), I went to watch the Midget Speedcars at Sydney Showground. (aka "Satdee night at the Skids")  The whole night's entertainment consisted of Solos, Sidecars, Midgets and Stock Cars. All of it was exciting to a seventeen year old from the 'burbs.I couldn't help but notice that the solos, powered by long-stroke long-stroke  JAP 500 singles, really put themselves on the line when it came to racing, more so than the Midget drivers.  These JAPs put out a throaty roar which could be heard all over the known world (ie at least beyond Paddington!). There was even more excitement as the fans drove towards home with a dash of Castrol R (castor oil) in their jalopies .

British Solo Rider

Speedway Sidecar

Doug Robson ( I think)

The Speedway Sidecars were something else. Invariable powered by Vee Twin 1000cc Vincent HRDS, these contraptions were the highlight of the show. This was my first contact with "Heavy Metal Thunder!





I was hooked !!

MEANWHILE...

The time rolled around and one day the mechanic at the service station over the road from where I lived found he had two motorcycles surplus to his requirements. One was an Australian built Waratah with a two stroke motor of about 250cc capacity. The other caught my eye. It was a JAP 350 sitting in an ancient girder-fork frame with an exhaust note to be proud of. As I was working "pumping gas" and had some cash to spare, I got together with a friend who added some cash to mine and we bought it. As it was not roadworthy there was only one thing to do with it: learn how to hang its tail out turning to the left. It provided hours of fun before we sold it for much the same money as we payed for it: 10 pounds. Wish I still had it now!

1927 "Sloper" BSA 500

In the late fifties and early sixties the NSW government decided that the movie "The Wild One" had created a scenario for the breakdown of docile and compliant society as we then knew it. As kids had stopped attending Sunday School and had purchased  fur lined Flying Boots and Marlin Brando Jackets to match their Triumph 650s, teenagers were on a One Way ticket to Hell. Rock'n'Roll music completed the decadent picture. Youth was clearly doomed. The only avenue left was to triple the cost of motorcycle registration so that it cost more than a car to run. The result was that old motorcycles came off the roads in droves and were stored in chook sheds and under houses. A work colleague mentioned to me that for 5 pounds I could purchase his 1927 Sloper BSA 500. I did. It had a hand gear change and external valve gear. It was then ridden like it had no tomorrow. It was taken to "Motorbike Hill" at Milperra and allowed to run free with all the other vintage motorcycles then stretching their legs on that hallowed turf. They were fun times for motorbikes and young blokes. Some of these last mentioned went on to join legitimate motorcycle clubs for scrambles and short circuit racing on oiled clay as a way of passing the time.

NOT the actual Triumph I describe !

By the autumn of 1962,  I owned an immaculate 1954 Triumph 650 Thunderbird with a "sprung hub" suspension -just like Marlin Brando had in the movie. This was the excitment machine of the time but my model was about eight years old. It had been well kept and was a joy to ride.On a cold dry morning the sound of the Amal carburettor sucking in air is still a sound strong in my memory. The best enjoyment was riding out in the countryside outside Sydney with similarly outfitted friends. Campbelltown on the back roads was clean air experience. Around the city traffic was sparse and most suburban roads almost empty.As a bonus, the 650 could blow the Rollo Richboys in their MG sportscars off the road, at least with acceleration, but maybe not "Bling". Even today, most cars just cant seem to  lift those front wheels to show a little daylight under 'em. Fortunately I had sufficient money to never have to rely on the "Trumpy" to get to work in rainy weather. I had a 1950 Holden sedan to do that, as well as providing a comfy backdrop to romance.

Triumph 650 Thunderbird

BSA 250

Registration costs finally got the better of me and I dropped back to 250s which were so much cheaper to register. I had a nice little BSA which got around without much fuss but didn't lower property values in the neighbourhood. To enhance the excitement in my life, I got rid of the Jawa two stroke that I had for scramble racing (I had joined Bankstown-Wiley Park Motor Cycle Club in the meantime) and purchased a Dirt Sidecar. Now this thing did have "cache". It was powered by a 1938 BSA Gold Star single bored out to 600cc, with a Vincent conrod and running on Ethanol with Nitro looking on. This thing pumped!! With my sidecar partner, we became known as "Bluey and Curly" (from an early Australian comic strip) and we had heaps of fun in the short circuit tracks around Sydney and Orange.

Clergate near Orange

"Bluey + Curly"

"Bluey + Curly"

My last dirt "short circuit" racing  was in 1966 at Salty Creek near Newcastle. My Ariel was all I had then because I was saving to spend some time in Europe.

Ariel Paddock Basher

Honda SL125

Honda CB100

After returning home in 1973, I purchased a little Honda SL125. I had seen adds for them in England and they looked businesslike with their OHC engine. I found that they performed better than 125s had ever done in the past. Later I also bought a CB 100 which was too cheap to ignore.
I had respect for the Yamaha company's Retro SR500 single. I had to have one and eventually bought a good one off a returning Irish backpacker. It was a great machine and the motor had cojones of iron, not to mention heaps of low down torque. Its not a surprise to me that they are still made in Japan and they have achieved an iconic status (Check out "Deus ex Machina") I am still puzzled as to why I sold it!!

Yamaha SR 500

 I bought a particularly crummy Yamaha SR185 that had more problems than could be counted on two hands. It did get to go short distances but I wished it had been the larger SR250 model, which would have been worth working on. I sold it not long after and found a very original Honda CB100. This was cheap to run (with a 99cc motor it was once considered to be a moped for registration purposes). Although from the mid seventies  It had had one careful owner (which was not me) and it still runs well and I still have it. It could do with a respray admittedly.

Honda CB100
neglected but still running

Mechanic making Fine Adjustments

I was also impressed with the Yamaha SRX250 which had the look of a "cafe racer" and I purchased one unseen on eBay. It's still sitting in the back yard and may never have its troubled innards attended to as I am still disappointed at what a wreck it is. I think I may need to purchase another wreck and make one out of two. At least I would know that a smashed wreck was running once to have been become smashed.

I've always found riding motorcycles to be heaps of fun!
It can be guaranteed to put a smile on your face !!

End of my motorcycle stories, (for now). More tales and photos to come later, folks.. Meanwhile, check out my exciting earlier posts! -You wont regret it :-)




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BENNETT VEHICLE STORIES

Austin 7

When I was 15 I really wanted a car...any car. My car of choice would have been an A model Ford sedan or coupe, preferably with two doors. By 1958 I had saved up enough pocket money and deposits on bottles. Also supplying newspaper to the  local Fish Shop helped ! My first car was an real antique, but at the time I bought it (for 15 pounds) I didn't realise that.. It was a minute 1926 Austin 7 in very worn condition but with everything working. It had a fabric two-door sedan body by Gordon England of the UK. The side valve 4 cylinder motor was 750cc and had a two bearing crankshaft. Ignition was by magneto and the gearbox had an external grate.  It probably was a bit classy when new because most of the Austin 7s that I had encountered as a kid were two door roadsters with very mangy canvas.It worked and it almost was capable of running in a straight line. I was happy with this.. It didn't travel very far because it used to shear Woodruff keys regularly. I became quite adept at producing these when needed. The Austin was never going to impress anybody and the bodywork was never going to be repaired by me, even though I would have liked to. I sold it to a schoolmate for what I paid for it. I heard later that he took the motor out of it for a boat and buried the chassis somewhere.

By 1959 I was working in a service station and managed to save some money. Taken in by the the sheer bazaz and newness of an 1948 Hillman Minx I lashed out and bought it. It had a 4 cylinder side valve motor and column change. It also had a garish green paint job and some shiny stars -so performance didn't matter much (not that it had much!) Cornering was an afterthought and its overall height made peering over traffic a breeze.Most memorable moment was stripping the differential of about 20 gear teeth in a face-off with a MG TF. Repairs were straightforward and made so often that mechanical fluency was achieved in a short period.

I got a real job in a factory. I had an apprenticeship in engineering. I had (some) money. I needed and wanted a Holden. I got one. It was a 1948 FX-215 Holden - one of the first 150 built. I found that out because the button lock for the back doors was placed at the back of the door -thereby making it almost impossible to lock the car from the driver's seat. This design fault was rectified on Holden #151 apparently.

FX-215 Holden

This was a real car which slammed down the highway, especially when I gave it two straight-linked Holleys (or was it Strombergs?). Lowered 2" front and rear and with a orange light on the dashboard it was my new home. Wow! Life was happening for me until some girl said it looked "kinda old-fashioned".

 My next car was an 1961 FB Holden Ute
for which I traded in my excellent 1948 Holden.
Not a smart move. It had been doctored with rust proofing over cardboard on the sub-floor. Sure it looked new but I didn't like driving it over bumps.

Falcon

So I bought a 1961 Falcon Ute which was painted pink (!) and hailed from Captain's Flat in the country. The car sales sprayed it black for a price It looked good, it rode well and it covered a lot of miles. I also fitted it out with a little known luxury... a heater.
Somewhere out in the west of the state the drain plug in the gearbox worked loose and the car limped back to Sydney where I became keen to dispose of it to an enthusiast     

Morris J-Van

                 

What seemed to be the obvious next vehicle
was a 1948ish Morris J-Van, ex NRMA, ex bread delivery van. It lived up to expectations which I must admit weren't that high. It got fitted out with a double bed in the back and did actually get past the city limits on a few occasions. An eccentric vehicle like this does grow on you and we certainly did miss it when it got sold.
It had been an eyebrow-raiser everywhere we went and was "interesting" to drive, especially over and down mountain roads.


A sporting Fiat 1100 four door sedan

Fiat 1100

(year unknown but post 1958 -probably 1961) was the next in line. It had "suicide" front doors but it went very well indeed. So it blew a head gasket on the side of the road near Jindabyne and required two headgaskets to seal the combustion chamber... I just loved working with frozen fingers and borrowed tools. It did the job and was really fun to drive.







Everone has to own at least one VW Beetle. Bev's was a 1963 sedan which was as neat as a pin until 3 days before we left the country a fuel pipe worked loose and sprayed the hot engine with petrol. Believe it or not, the fire was put out by a bucket of water thrown at the orange fireball where the motor was. After selling this one we were on our way.





Re-locating to England we sought out the obligatory

Volkswagen Kombi. Ours was a 1965 LHD model from a Koln florist fitted out with some cheap camping beds and a kerosene stove from the local KaufHof. It managed two major trips crisscrossing Europe and North Africa carrying up to 5 people. It eventually ended up with quite nice furniture made from London real estate signs and some curtains on the windows. It succesfully negotiated a lot of alpine passes and several deserts. It never missed a beat and we ended up selling it to a friend who again circumnavigated Europe and Turkey once more. It was eventually sold outside Australia House to another Aussie girl who intended to circumnavigate Europe. Who knows... it might be still going.

Ford Anglia

For ramblings around London I was offered a Ford Anglia, a side valve, four cylinder little car of indeterminate age/vintage without a functioning voltage-regulator/cutout. We kept it running with occasional joining of wires from the generator which protruded into the cabin. It kept us warm and took us on the road around towns close to London. We gave it to friends when we left England to return to Australia.

 
On our return to Sydney, there was only one real choice:- a 1963 EJ Holden sedan. Great car to travel distances but later to reveal rust in parts of the sub-frame just after we popped in a husky exchange motor. It was excellent to drive in and for us so roomy. We were very sad to sell this one off.

EJ Holden

What we needed was another large vehicle to go camping so we ended up with a 1970 Chrysler Valiant

1970 Chrysler Valiant

At the time we bought it (at auction) larger vehicles were being dumped because of jumping petrol prices. This was the ideal wagon for camping holidays. 6 cylinder and about 4.4 litre -it ate up the miles and, being a manual it wasn't so bad on fuel. There was room for everything and about this time we lugged a small caravan (ie trailer) hundreds of kilometres south to Berridale to become our snow accomodation. This arrangement worked well for several years and meant we were ready to pack our skis whenever the snow forecast wss good. The Val ran trouble-free for seven years but by then was showing its age.
The time had come for a smaller city shopping basket and we purchased a Mazda 1500 Sedan (year uncertain now). These were a good looking OHC vehicle and it turns out that the design had been done by Bertone apparently for Alfa Romeo but not used by them. Some Alfa models certainly looked very similar.. It was an excellent little car and it was perfect for city driving and parking. It was also the school bus and was a breeze to park. Apparently these sold in Europe with only a 1000cc motor.

Toyota Land Cruiser

About this time I came across an early 1970 Toyota Land Cruiser... - a thorough beast of a vehicle but I thought it could look good caught in Sydney traffic. Build quality was exceptional. I spent a lot of time hand painting the body pale blue but I would have preferred British Racing Green as had become Land Cruiser fashion at the time. I also set about making a camping body for the back tray. The weight became impressive and the petrol motor was incredible thirsty especially around town. I even disabled the accelerator pump to save me some money.. The beast had to go and it did after only a few very reliable years.

Chrysler 360

A six litre V8 was the next to catch my eye. A 1972 Chrysler 360 ex government VIP sedan with every conceivable creature comfort seemed so right. It had grunt and luxury and drank copious amounts of fuel but it did it in style. We had it for two months and after returning from Mt Hotham it caught the eye of a motoring enthusiastic who cut our security chain and departed with it at 3.30 in the morning. We still have good memories :-(

Next up was an emergency purchase of another Mazda 1500 way past its use-by date. We needed a car fast and we had spent all our spare money on the Chrysler. It worked (sort of) and I was amazed when some joker purchased this wreck off us because he was even more desperate for any transport.

Mazda 808

Mazdas were in vogue as we took on another city shopping basket, a Mazda 808 station wagon. It looked good'n'shiny but suffered from a narrow track. We discovered that some wide wheels available at wrecking yards had the same PCD as ours and we were able to improve the roadholding a little. It did the job well but didn't cope well with freeway speeds.

Valiant time had rolled around again and this time we were lucky to come across another gem. a 1974 Valiant sedan. Reliable and comfortable it ate up country miles and being another manual, was remarkably economical. It gave us seven years of reliable motoring. It was our choice for the regular run to the snow

Volkswagen Golfs had always caught my eye so I had no trouble acquiring a 1974 Golf sedan which proved to be quite a serious performer in the city and on country roads. The cylinder head had work done as I later found out and although the car had had a hard life it fairly thundered on the open road. Furthermore it was a thorough delight to drive. It had a short life but a merry one. Once the cylinder head needed replacing it became very tame and was no longer fun to drive.

Daihatsu 3 cylinder

A Daihatsu sedan with three cylinders (1 litre) was next on the scene. It did an adequate job and had the added benefit of easy parking...anywhere. Economical and reliable...I liked this at the time.and had no complaints whatsoever. I even took it outside the city limits.

Bev had decided it was Toyota time again so the first Toyota Corolla Hatch  came into the scene. It left the scene shortly after when ploughed into by a 4 wheel drive. A great loss..

The next was a 1986 Toyota Corolla Sedan which is still delivering product to this day without a hiccup. Absolute dependability is a valuable asset in my books. Build quality is impressive. Age is impresive.

The next to come was another Toyota Coroilla Hatch which was also destined for an unlucky fate. Whilst parked on a near deserted suburban , it was driven into by an 88 year old who had better things to do than concentrate where he was driving. Another great loss.








The Last in the current crop is a 1995 Toyota Corolla Hatch which is proving just as reliable and comfortable as all previous Corollas. As i write it is providing sterling service.

On the question of what car I would REALLY like to drive there is an obvious answer! My current choice of vehicle is dependent upon which car available is (a) Affordable (b) Reliable and (c) What I need to do the job. What I would choose to drive for the sheer fun of it is a 3 wheeler Morgan with a vee twin engine.

Early Morgan Vee Twin

 I saw just one of these on the highway when I was a kid in the fifties and wanted to drive one ever since

 I would expect it to be a mix of the staidness and comfort of a sedan and the roaring fun of a motorcycle! 

Well they have just brought a new version with a thunderous American 2 litre vee twin. It looks sensational! Its performance looks impressive too as can be seen on the clips from You Tube

Today's Vee-Twin Morgan

If anyone has one they would like to lend me for the day I would be forever appreciative !!! Please leave your phone/mobile number or just your email thanx.




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