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News September
2023
Mighty
middleweight – Suzuki SV650, September 29
Believe it or not, Suzuki's first V-twin
SV650 series has turned 24, which means next year they can
be registered on club plates in some states.
We have had a couple of these come
through the shed over time and reckon they're been
unbeatable as a light, fun and easy-to-ride package.
The first-gen offered 51kW (68hp) for
a claimed 165kg dry for the naked version – more than
enough to tear up a licence. See the
Suzuki overview.
Our shed: Ducati
916 take 2, September 28
Okay, we bought another one and this should have been really simple: Swap the mufflers, get the front brake light switch working and get a roadworthy certificate for the recently-acquired Ducati 916 (our second). It was not to be...see the story here.
Darwin for sale,
September 28
Contrary to popular belief, we do know
how to sell a motorcycle and have even been known to do
it on rare occasions. And this is one of them.
The 2002 BMW R1150GS we recently bought
on a whim in Darwin and then rode 3800km (2360 miles)
home to Melbourne is now on the market. Why? Because I
already have another example of exactly the same model
and only ever bought it to do the trip.
If you missed
the story on the trip (which was great fun), see it
here.
Chaos on Sydney
Road, September 28
A combined motorcycle and bicycle race on Sydney Road?
Why not? Australian Motor Cycle News has published
a fun story on
this snapshot from the past. See it here.
Hyrbid stroker,
September 27
Something a little different: A 1983
Yamaha RD350LC two-stroke twin updated with the front and
rear suspension and wheels from a Suzuki RGV250 VJ22A –
which places it in the early 1990s.
There is of course a long list of
further mods and it all suggests this would be a quick
and interesting piece of machinery. It's being sold
via Brad's
Vintage Cycle Sales and is priced at Au$18,500
(US$11,800, GB£9800)
Yamaha LCs have been a fairly popular
modifier's platform in the UK – here's an
example at Return of the Cafe Racers.
Yamaha
RD350LC specs and backgrounder at Motorcycle Specs.
See our Yamaha RZ350 mini profile.
And our Suzuki
RGV250 profile.
Six games,
September 25
Today's shed entertainment was playing with our recently-acquired 1981 Honda CBX1000 Prolink (the inline six), which is in need of some (hopefully) minor recommissioning after sitting unused for some time.
We're rapidly discovering there's a lot going on under that paint...wish us luck!
Specs and backgrounder at Motorcycle Specs.
See the epic
Classic Two Wheels road test of the 1979 naked Mk1
version.
That will make two Honda sixes in the shed – the other being
our Valkyrie Interstate.
Return of the
screens, September 25
A few days ago we published a feature on motorcycle screens, pointing out the USA was a great source of over-sized units that provide better protection than stock items.
However we overlooked a local maker, namely Eagle Screens in WA. It has an impressive catalogue of offerings, which you can see here.
Hot Hondas,
September 24
Welcome to 1978 – or there-abouts – and Honda is flogging what looks like a souped-up CB750-Four F2 (last of the single-cams for most markets). The CB750SS is in fact a low-volume special cobbled together with the help of Seeley. The latter provided the fuel tank, bodywork, rear-sets...the list goes on.
By now the single-cam 750 was comprehensively out-gunned in the market, though it was still a a fairly quick road bike.
Honda and Seeley's partnership produced a couple of
variants, including the Phil Read replica, of which about
150 are thought to have been built. The one shown here is
currently for sale in the UK via Motorcycle
Investment Services, priced at Au$33,350 (US$21,500,
GB£17,500).
See the Old
Bike mag special on the CB750-Four F series.
Middleweight
delights, September 23
It's 1980 and Kawasaki USA has come up
with this quirky ad for its middleweight KZ550, which
turned out to be a bit of a gem.
Cycle
World wrote in its test: "Where the 550 absolutely
shines is in engine performance, from low end and
mid-range torque that would do a normal 750 justice to
the fastest 550cc ET. That engine torque means the 550
will come off corners hard or cruise around town at low
rpm (2500-3000) in top gear. In an impromptu roll-on
from 50mph, the KZ550 in sixth gear left behind a 1340cc
Harley-Davidson FLT 80 running in fourth gear (the
Harley has five speeds). The ability to happily purr
along at low rpm in higher gears has a lot to do with
the bike’s good gas mileage.
"Combined with the light
weight and quick steering, the impression the rider gets
from the KZ550’s engine is that he’s riding a 400 with
750 power." See the full
road test here.
We
don't recall getting the KZ550 in Australia, but we did
get the closely-related and equally highly-regarded
GPz550. That model went to a Uni-Trak (monoshock) rear
suspension from 1981. See the Cycle
World profile.
$100k of Comets,
September 22
Here's living proof that there are
some classics out there which retain value no matter
what. The two Vincent Comet singles you see here, both
desperately in need of resuscitation, collectively
fetched over Au$100k at a September Donington
(Australia) auction.
The first, a rare Series A Special
from 1937, flew a long
way past the published estimates to Au$76,000
(US$48,700, GB£39,600). This variant has been
described as a TT model with lights, hence the
exceptional interest.
Meanwhile the second bike is a Series C
from around 1949. It fetched Au$31,000
(US$19,900, GB£16,200).
See the
Series C Comet review from The Classic MotorCycle.
Animated Vespa,
September 21
If you're a fan of animation, this Vespa might prove to
be the thing that finally plunges you into scooter
ownership. In partnership with Disney in its 100th
anniversary, Vespa has released a Primavera 50 in Mickey
Mouse livery, complete with artwork of the immortal mouse
and his signature. Price? Au$7590 (US$4860, GB£3950) on
the road. More here.
It's not the first time we've had a cartoon character associated with a vehicle – one that instantly springs to mind is Chrysler and its Plymouth Road Runner series of the 1960s. See the Unique Cars magazine story, here.
Our bikes:
Screen play, September 21
We've come to the conclusion that if
you want a motorcycle touring screen that actually
works, you need to talk to the Americans. See the full
story here.
History under
the hammer, September 19
Mike Hanlon over at New Atlas has trawled through and analysed the results of the recent sale of the Parham collection from the National Motorcycle Museum in Iowa, USA. It's well worth a read – see the full story here.
The auction
was conducted earlier this month by Mecum.
Among the lots were several
significant machines, including the 1906 Curtiss
V-twin shown. It sold for Au$333,500
(US$214,500, GB£173,300).
Kawasaki Z900 –
random shot for the day, September 19
It's 1976 and the A4 version of Kawasaki's mighty Z900 is still carrying the factory's performance flag, some four years after it was launched.
See
the vital stats at Motorcycle Specs.
See our feature
on its stylish successor, the Z1-R.
Yamaha SR500 by
Mel LeMoto, September 18
Following on from yesterday's post on Mel LeMoto Yamaha
RD250/350LC custom kits from 1980-ish is this gem from
Stewart Ross of the SR500 Club
in Australia.
Please tell us someone out there has one!
See the Yamaha
SR500 in our shed.
Mel LeMoto –
today's oddball, September 17
Just the thing for the Yamaha RD250/350LC owner who had plenty of cash to throw around, a Mel LeMoto kit to turn you bike into a road-going TZ replica.
It was pretty comprehensive, including alloy tank, body
work, rearsets, front brake discs and a fresh set of
combustion chambers complete with stinger mufflers.
Are there any still running around out there?
1980 Yamaha
RD350LC specs at Motorcycle Specs.
Land yacht
cruise, September 16
It's great to get out and about for a few
days, using the 1999 Bimmer K1200LT land yacht in the way
the maker intended. Fortunately it handles a whole lot
better than it looks!
And the story
on the big rebuild for the one in the shed.
CB750-Four
resto, September 15
Honda's CB750-Four was an
industry-changing motorcycle and remains popular as a
restoration target 55 years after its launch. Here's a good
piece on a K0 restoration out of the USA, published
by Motorcycle Classics.
See the
750-Four K1 in our shed.
See the 1970
Classic Two Wheels road test.
Blowers and
bikes, September 14
It's 1939 and Georg 'Schorsch' Meier
is winning the Senior TT at the Isle of Man on his
supercharged BMW. Some 80-ish years later, you may
notice a lack of superchargers in MotoGP, which seems
a shame.
Ian Falloon's weekly retrospective
feature covers the fascinating history behind blowers
and bikes. See it here.
Suzuki's litre
hero, September 13
Suzuki's GS1000E was a hugely important bike in the maker's history – it's first litre-class machine (from 1978) and a great follow-on from its first big four-stroke, the GS750E.
It's often overlooked in favour of later and more
glamorous models such as the GSX1100E, and is nevertheless
a great ride.
What got us going on this theme was spotting a 1981
example for sale via Facebook marketplace. You don't often
see them pop up and this one claims to have been restored
and is being offered for Au$10,000 (US$6400, GB£5100). See the listing
here.
Specs and
backgrounder and Motorcycle Specs.
MV Nero gallery,
September 12
A week or so ago we put up a
quick story on our recently acquired MV Agusta F4 1000
Nero, but at the time we were light-on for pics and
specs.
That's now been fixed and you can now
see the
Italian monster in all its glory, here.
Stroker wave,
September 11
The current wave of popularity being
experienced by late-model two-stroke sports bikes
shows no sign of diminishing. From our
blink-and-you'll-miss-it department comes this listing on
Facebook, from Brad's Vintage Cycle Sales.
A 13,100km (8100-mile) and apparently
tidy 1992 Suzuki RGV250 was listed at Au$18,950
(US$12,200, GB£9800) and lasted less than an hour.
Peak Zed for the
shed, September 10
Some while back we mentioned laying our scone-grabbers on
a shiny one-owner Kawasaki ZX-12R, filling out the
rocketship end of the shed that already contained a Honda
Blackbird and modified Suzuki Hayabusa.
Now, a few months down the track, we have had a chance to play with it and have a few things to report. See the story here.
Brute force,
September 10
Brute force...partial shed clean-up
today: Kawasaki ZX-12R, Honda Blackbird, Suzuki
Hayabusa, plus Triumph Daytona 1200, Super III and Speed
Triple.
See Our Bikes
for more on each of them.
Africa style, September 9
Honda delivered some style to the
adventure tourer cum rally raid replica sector back in
1990 with the V-twin XRV750. See the buyer
guide from Bennetts in the UK.
Gun Enfield, September 8
It's 1963, Triumph is launching its elegant unit
construction Bonneville 650 and rival Royal Enfield
has its 750 Interceptor entering the market. Fast, if
somewhat prone to oil leaks, it made quite an
impression.
See the
Motorcycle Classics feature.
Yamaha GL
750 – today's if-only star, September 7
It's 1971 and Yamaha is showing off
a spectacular prototype in Tokyo (then Paris the
following year): The two-stroke, liquid-cooled,
fuel-injected inline four GL 750.
Sadly we never got to see a
production version. However the basic engine
architecture (minus the injection) turned out to be very
handy on the racetrack in the shape of the TZ700 and
TZ750 series.
Surely there's a talented builder
out there who could create a working replica?
Little things,
September 6
Flashback: Sometimes it's the little
things that bring the biggest smile to your dial – like
an old Suzuki TS185ER. See the story here.
Brit bargains,
September 5
Recent auction results in the UK suggest
that's the place to go hunting a classic at the moment.
The example here is a 1991 Ducati 851 SP3 with 12,500km
on the odo and apparently in good shape. It sold through
Gooding & Company for Au$15,600 (US$10,100,
GB£8000) compared to a pre-auction estimate of
Au$30-49,000 (US$19-32,000, GB£15-25,000). We reckon it
looks like a bargain.
On August 6 we reported on a 1951 Series
C Black Shadow that was in good working though not
pristine condition and came with its original
registration. It went for
Au$57,700 (US$38,000, GB£29,800), through
Silverstone. Believe it or not, that's cheap by local
standards.
It was 1983 and music flick Flashdance
had been released, as had the Kawasaki GPz1100/ZX1100
A-1 in all its 120-horse glory. The price scribbled on
the brochure in the pic is what it cost back then in
Australia...are there any good ones left out there?
See the
backgrounder at Motorcycle Specs.
Our bikes: MV
Agusta F4 1000 Nero hits the road, September 3
It's been an entertaining week in the
Chateau Guido shed, with the 2006 MV Agusta F4 Nero
finally getting on the road with fresh tyres and rego. See the story
here.
Honda SL350 –
today's random brochure, September 2
Honda's mighty twin-cylinder SL350 trail
bike met with a muted reception way back in 1969-71 and
we're wondering if there are many survivors out there.
Basic stats for the 326cc four-stroke were 33 horses at 9500rpm in a package with a dry weight of 145kg.
Most would not have been worth restoring
and Hagerty in the USA lists the value of a good example
at around Au$6200 (US$4000, GB£3150).
There are however exceptions, such as the
example shown here. It was formerly owned by actor John
Wayne and auctioned last year by Sotheby's. Though
long-departed, it seems the movie star still has pulling
power, with the Honda
fetching Au$46,000 (US$30,000, GB£23,600).
More specs at
Motorcycle Specs.
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