Motorcycle Investor mag
What's happening
Double K0s, Nov 12
Not one but two Honda CB750-Four K0s coming up at different Shannons auctions over coming weeks.
Sydney, 18 Nov;
Melbourne, 9 Dec.
We made it, Nov 9
Homing Boxer update: well, that’s it. Made it! We’ve completed the Alice Springs to Melbourne run on the newly-acquired R100GS PD. Against expectations, the dodgy repairs to carburettor diaphragms held up for 1800km of the 2200km trip and the bike is still running okay.
Have ordered a few parts online, including new carb bits and a sorely-needed front brake master cylinder rebuild kit.
This is my third buy-fly-ride home trip in the last couple of years (two from Alice Springs, one from Brisbane) and I can recommend the experience, even if you cop the odd drama!
Now, there must be something interesting for sale in Perth...
Look for the upcoming story in Motorcycle Trader mag.
#homingboxer
Dodgy repair survives another day, Nov 8
Homing Boxer update: another 500km-plus racked up on the dodgy race tape carburettor diaphragm repair - we’ve made it to Mildura.
Spent the day getting blown all over the road and riding through a dust storm that seemed to have its own postcode.
Today’s “how the hell did they get away with that” award goes to the massive Dunlop billboard east of Renmark, which spans the entire highway!
It seems the company once sponsored the local speedway (thanks to Brian Rix for the info) and now the sign highlights the local phylloxera checking station. Phyllo...whatever is an insect that’s deeply unpopular with local grape growers.
Nevertheless, imagine trying to get that through planning in the city!
#homingboxer
And our favourite road sign from the trip...
Triple Bypass, Nov 8
Proof yesterday's dodgy carburettor fix actually works! #homingboxer
Boxer smiles, Nov 7
Homing Boxer update: who would have thought it would work? This morning we discovered the cause of the running dramas - wouldn’t rev above 4000, using huge quantities of fuel - was two badly torn carburettor diaphragms.
The instant dodgy fix was to use patches of a vinyl race tape I’d picked the previous day to rescue a loose indicator.
Incredibly the tape has held and the bike is running pretty well. We’ve done just shy of 800km today and have pulled up for the night in Port Augusta.
There’s a good chance it will make it home as is. If not, I have a few spare metres of tape...
#homingboxer
Boxer fix, maybe? Nov 7
Homing Boxer woes: found the culprits. Repaired with a little vinyl tape and hoping for the best.
#homingboxer
Boxer dramas, Nov 6
Well it’s been an entertaining day on the homing boxer. The trip from Alice Springs to Melb is going much slower than planned, due to a mystery ailment that prevents it revving much past 4000rpm.
That means a top speed of 110km/h on the flat and utterly appalling fuel consumption.
All sorts of components have been checked across several stops, with no luck so far.
Have consulted with Motorcycle Trader Mag’s very own Spannerman, and he reckons the next thing to do is check and seal the carb diaphragms.
Of course the screws In the tops of the Bing carbs are stuck fast, so hopefully an overnight bath in penetrating fluid will change things.
Meanwhile we’ve pulled up in Marla, a couple of hundred kays short of our intended target of Coober Pedy.
There was no point in staying out and playing chicken with the roo population.
Wish us luck...
#homingboxer
Boxer pick-up, Nov 5
And here it is, the R100GS PD with John B from Alice Springs.
This is the second bike I’ve bought from him and ridden home to Melbourne - the first was a Kawasaki GPz900R.
Like last time, he and a few mates from the Ulysses Club plan to escort me out of town in the morning...
#homingboxer
Homing Boxer, Nov 5
That dry-looking country out the aircraft window is South Australia. On the way to Alice Springs to pick up a 1989 BMW R100GS Paris-Dakar this afternoon, and ride it back home to Melbourne.
It won’t be as shiny as the one shown in the brochure shot.
I road-tested one for a mag when they were new and remember them fondly. It’ll be fun to see how 30-year-old version stacks up.
Wish us luck...
Model profile & specs
#homingboxer
Merlin Monster for sale, Nov 5
Remember Lucky Kaiser and his monster V-twin bike, displacing five litres from two cylinders cut off a Merlin aviation engine? The machine was a regular at shows from the mid-1980s and is now on the market for a heady $240k!
Suzuki GS750 offering, Nov 4
Suzuki GS750. Under-rated in Australia, but a very significant model in Suzuki history. It is essentially what gave the company credibility in the then burgeoning big four-stroke market. This 1977 example is for sale at Mick Hone Motorcycles for $8k. Suzuki GS series profile at Wikipedia.
Aston Brough, Nov 1
Aston Martin and Brough Superior are to unveli a collaboration bike in Milan omn Nov 5. Let's hope it loks more polished than the latter's current efforts. See more here.
Plunger Bimmers, Nov 1
From Garth Asmussen to the BMW Airheads group on Facebook: "Hello to all I am a machinist, welder and hobby builder in Pittsburgh PA. I concentrate on Airhead powered plunger frame bikes. Hope you all can appreciate, lots of hours and elbow grease in my builds."
-------------------------------------------------
Produced by AllMoto 61 400 694 722
Privacy: we do not collect cookies or any other data.
Try our books...
Archives
Features
The best of the puffer-cycles
We all need one
Shed invaders & track days
All British Rally 2019 gallery
Buyer beware!
Chasing & buying a Kat
Shed-built contraptions
The reprobate uncle's legacy
Bikes that saw values drop like the proverbial lead balloon, but are still great buys!
Future collectible
Sorting out the forks
Who knew it was this hard?
Future collectible
Two-stroke madness
Future collectible
Contact