Old Bike Australasia

Old Bike magazine is a must for those who ride as well as the dedicated enthusiast and rebuilder, covering everything from Vintage to early 1980s bikes - marvel at the restoration of machines that could still sit proudly on the showroom floor. Each issue brings you the latest news and results from recent events, race reports and Rally Roundup, along with new and old bike news and reviews, readers letters, Club Directory, What’s On and much, much more.

Paving Over the Podium: The Crisis in Grassroots Racing

Old Bike Australasia

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Crafting the Ultimate 1973 Yamaha XS650 Café Racer • Motorcycle ownership comes with an unspoken tradition of customisation. Whether it’s a subtle tweak or a fullblown transformation, most riders relish the opportunity to make their bikes uniquely their own. The Yamaha XS650 stands as a towering classic and has long served as a favourite canvas for custom builders.

BMW Motorrad unveils the vision K18 concept at Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este

MV Agusta reveals limited edition 2026 Brutale 1000 ABT

Urban Moto Imports appointed Australian & New Zealand distributor for ZXMOTO

Norton Unveils Manx R flagship superbike as bold statement for the future

Royal Enfield plots major FY2027 expansion with five new models

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Under the Chequered Flag

A MOTORCYCLING MILESTONE • Everyone thought the 250cc CB72 was the bee’s knees. Until Honda released its (slightly) bigger brother. It’s amazing what a difference an extra 58cc can make, but then, Honda has always worked wonders with small cylinder capacities. In the case of the 305cc CB77, it was all the CB72 was, and more. The target was specifically the US market, and the aim was spot-on.

DERBI 80 RACER CHAMPI’S CHAMPION • The year 1989 marked the end of an era in Grand Prix motorcycle racing. It was the year the curtain fell on the 80cc World Championship - a category affectionately known in Britain as the ‘tiddlers’ and in Spain as tazas de café (coffee cups, an homage to the size of their tiny pistons). Yet, the final season of this diminutive class produced a pair of road racing milestones that remain untouched to this day.

A RESURRECTED LEGEND DAVE CROXFORD WORKS PROTOTYPE MK 4 SEELEY G50 • The 1971 Brands Hatch Transatlantic Trophy meeting witnessed a spectacular debut. Riding the prototype Works Mk 4 Seeley G50, Dave Croxford scored a sensational win on the brilliant new machine. He enjoyed further success throughout 1971 on the Works Mk 4, fitted with either the 500cc or 633cc G50 engines. However, this era marked the swan song of the big four-stroke singles, as they were rapidly being eclipsed by Seeley-framed, two-stroke powered machines.

THE UNBROKEN BRITISH SPIRIT 1979 TRIUMPH T140D BONNEVILLE SPECIAL • The late 1970s were a vibrant and tumultuous crossroads for the motorcycle world. It was a turning point when tradition collided with progress, and the very soul of the British motorcycle industry was called into question.

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THOR’S HAMMER UNPACKING THE MAGNIFICENT 1913 MODEL 13-U • The year 1913 was absolutely golden for motorcycling innovation – a time when manufacturers were locked in fierce, passionate battles for supremacy, both on the thundering board tracks and the unforgiving dirt roads. Among the front runners was Thor, one of the most successful and influential brands in early American motorcycling – even though its motorcycles were only produced for a single decade by the Aurora Automatic Machinery Company (AAM) on the outskirts of Chicago.

Revving Through Time The Legendary Journey of the 1927 Jowett Special AJS • The rise in the “provenance” of any particular bike can usually be linked to the rise in notoriety of its owner, and in the case of this AJS HR7 350...