Cycle Torque Jan/Feb 2017

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ON THE COVER: RYE DUCATI PHOTO BY SDR Chris Pickett Dennis Penzo 0420 319 335 dennis@cycletorque.com.au Dionne Hagan dee@cycletorque.com.au Rebecca Eastment bec@cycletorque.com.au Nigel Paterson PO Box 687, Warners Bay, NSW 2282 Ph (02) 4956 9820 Fax (02) 4956 9824 Email: info@cycletorque.com.au Darryl Flack, Don Cox, Phil Hall, Goggles Paesano, Brian Dyer, Peter Faragher, wpfotos.co.uk, SDPICS, Buggantar Photos. Australian Historic Racer is published by Motorcycle Publishing Pty Ltd. ACN 085 871 147, ISSN number 2205-9768 Printed by Rural Press, North Richmond. This work is Copyrighted. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form, including electronic, without written permission of the publisher. Please contact the editor before submitting freelance contributions. s This bike was a cuttiung edge historic racer in the late 1980s and still is now. You might think the term ‘Cutting Edge’ is out of place in historic racing but not so. But one area where the bike could be improved is the carburettors. A modern set of Keihin CRs would make more power and be easier to deal with than these Kawasaki based 29mm Smoothbores. And check out the race programs, highlighting the bike’s history as a modern and classic racing machine. s this 500/4 leaned up against the fence of a house just near Paul’s place. I knocked on the door and asked if it was for sale, and it was. I checked it out and realised it was my old bike, with all the Masaaki modified gear still on it. The bloke wanted $100, I couldn’t get my wallet out quick enough.” It took some work to breathe racing life back into the little Honda but it wasn’t long before the bike was ready to terrorise more fancied machinery and opponents, just like it did a decade earlier. s Kel went to great lengths to have the wheels turn freely, using a lighter chain and freer moving wheel bearings. To this day the bike has kept all of Kel’s ideas of weight reduction and it can just Kel did most of the day to day about push itself along. maintenance of the bike and farmed A 750/4 front end was fitted, with out the engine for rebuilds when the dual brakes (500s originally had needed. In 1994 Kel took the engine a single caliper), an oil cooler, firstly to Mark Woolfrey, noted engine a regular four-into-one exhaust, and builder and mechanic for Yamaha’s later a trick four-into-one system which factory team in Australia. Much of could be pulled apart one header at a the work Masaaki San had done years time. before was still in good condition In this form the bike was seriously and relevant, but Woolfrey tweaked fast for its time, with Kel wheelstanding the engine in different areas, in line it off the front row time after time to with current thinking at that time, take many wins in the unlimited class. including a very lightweight knife The bike was as exotic as an historic edged crankshaft. The capacity was racer could be at the time, with Dyna brought back to 550cc as Woolfrey S coils and a rev limiter ensuring the believed it would rev harder and bike was reliable as well as fast. Kel’s make more horsepower at that shining moment was beating much capacity. Power at this time in its life bigger bikes at Mount Panorama on this was believed to be in the low 60s at big bore 500. the rear wheel. s Australian Historic Racer SUMMER 2015 RACING: Classic TT Barry Sheene Festival of Speed Island Classic Australian TT HISTORY: Honda V4 1 Australia’s cycletorque.com.au JAN/FEB FIRST 2017 I 88 classic racing magazine Available now! $9.95 INCLUDING POSTAGE www.motobooks.com.au Call 02 4956 9825 AHR RACER TEST MINNOVATION MARVEL Words by Chris Pickett, Photos by Chris Pickett and SDR Pics AHR RACER TEST Honda CB500/4 Ducati TTF1 A LATIN OBSESSION PLUS Dennis Neill Tribute – The Racer, The Man AUSTRALIAN HISTORIC RACER 18 26 Australian Historic Racer Contents 4 SNAPSHOT IN TIME S A NEW TAKE ON AN OLD IDEA GIVES AN OLD STAGER A FRESH BREATH OF LIFE TEVE Maney was well enough known in the UK – his homeland – for his modified Norton Commando engines but he was a relatively unknown quantity when he arrived a the 2010 Island Classic at Phillip Island. By the end of the meeting he was known for two things: the speed of his Seeley Commando and his involvement in a start line pile up that saw the Englishman spend rather more time in Australia than he bargained for. To classic racing fans, Colin Seeley needs no introduction, and like a number o frame builders from the 1960s and ’70s, the name Seeley has continued on, with replica frames being built for the classic racing scene. There won’t be too AHR RACER TEST Story by Chris Pickett, Photos by Chris Pickett and Buggantar Photos. many original Seeley frames being campaigned these days bu there’s more than a few replicas being thrashed around the world. This bike uses Maney’s expertise and the Seeley chassis which proved so successful back in the day tha the original design has largely needed no modernification so to speak. A HANKERING This particular Seeley Commando was commissioned by an Australian co lector, mainly jus to have rather than to be seriously raced. Things haven’ turned ou that way, with Lye l Wi liamson successfu ly racing the machine in most major classic race meetings in Australia over the last couple of years. Lye l is quite ––– 51 ––– an accomplished engine builder and racer himself, and has taken care of the maintenance and race preparation of this very special race bike. When the owner of the bike wanted one he went straigh to the best in the business, Minnovation, based in the north of England. Minnovation Racing se l complete bikes and the parts to campaign them bu they don’t do everything in house. Both the engine and frame of this bike were supplied to Minnovation who then pu the rest of the machine together for its foray to Australia. ENGINE Maney is we l known for his 1007cc Commando based Australian Historic Racer LIGHT AS A FEATHER ––– 61 ––– 6 IN THE PITS RRP: AUS $9.95 NZ $11.95 (Inc.GST) 30 10 2016 ISLAND CLASSIC PREVIEW 12 RACING TECH 14 2016 BSFOS PREVIEW AHR PICTORIAL 16 EDITORIAL OR TAP TO BUY A DIGITAL COPY FROM THE APP STORE s YAMAHA TZ750 s SEELEY COMMANDO s HONDA 500/4 EDITOR ADVERTISING DESIGN & PRODUCTION ACCOUNTS PUBLISHER REGULAR CONTRIBUTORS: 38 50 58 66 ––– 3 ––– 18 RYE DUCATI 26 RUST NEVER SLEEPS 30 YAMAHA TZ750 36 THE SQUEAKY WHEEL 38 TOM PHILLIS 46 BOOK SHOP 48 RACING GEAR 50 SEELEY COMMANDO 58 HONDA CB500/4 66 HONDA V4 72 1976 AUSTRALIAN TT 76 DENNIS NEILL TRIBUTE 82 2015 BSFOS WRAP UP 86 2015 ISLAND CLASSIC REVIEW 90 CLASSIC TT 2015 94 ON ANY RACEDAY 98 EVENTS THE STUFF OF Legend Australian Historic Racer YAMAHA’S TZ750 IS ONE OF THE MOST COLLECTABLE FACTORY RACE BIKES EVER MADE. THE OWNER OF THIS BIKE DECIDED TO MAKE HIS EVEN MORE SPECIAL THAN THE ORIGINAL F ACTORY racing machines are generally built in very small numbers, raced for a year or so in the hands of the best riders and then lef to languish in sheds. Some bikes are like your grandfather’s hammer, with five heads and nine handles, watered down as parts are robbed for newer machines and so on. They can lose their identity along the way. Yamaha’s TZ750 was a bit like that, with many bikes finding their way into the hands of privateer riders, eventually becoming uncompetitive and resigned to being ornaments in sheds. The last TZ750 to be seriously raced as a modern bike in Australia was most likely the Gaythorne Yamaha TZ ridden by Michael Dowson, fitted with an FJ1100 front end. They became too expensive to run and too slow to keep up with bikes like Yamaha’s own FZR1000. Bu there’s no ––– 31 ––– doub the TZ750 had a reputation for excitable handling and power delivery and has few peers as a co lectable racing machine. If you speak to current and former owners of these machines, racing one never has you far away from financial and physical pain. A good friend of mine had a TZ750 powered sidecar back in the 1980s and tells the story of risking everything financially to import parts from England to rebuild the engine. After doing practice at Oran Park things were looking up, until the engine seized on the warm-up lap for the first race of the day. I’ve noticed he still has a slight nervous twitch when you mention a TZ750 to him. CLASS ACT There has been a bit of a resurgence of TZ750 machines in recent years in Australian classic racing circles but generally they have been ridden Australian Historic Racer
CREDITS cycletorque.com.au JAN/FEB 2017 I 89 cycletorque DIGITAL EDITOR RYAN GRUBB ADVERTISING DENNIS PENZO, 0420 319 335 dennis@cycletorque.com.au MANAGING EDITOR NIGEL PATERSON publisher@cycletorque.com.au DESIGN & PRODUCTION DIONNE HAGAN,THE D MEDIA DESIGN dee@cycletorque.com.au WWW.CYCLETORQUE.COM.AU PO Box 687, Warners Bay, NSW 2282 Ph (02) 4956 9820 • Fax (02) 4956 9824 • info@cycletorque.com.au REGULAR CONTRIBUTORS: DARRYL FLACK, BOB GUNTRIP, DAVE MASON, KEITH MUIR, ALEX PICKETT, DARREN SMART, TODD REED, FRIEDEMANN KIRN, WWW.2SNAP.COM, COL WHELAN, AUNTY MAL, TONY ‘CARNAGE’ PENFOLD, RYAN GRUBB AND BRIAN DYER. Cycle Torque is published by Motorcycle Publishing Pty Ltd. ABN 91 085 871 147 Cycle Torque is available from bike shops across Australia. If you can’t find our latest issue, call 0420 319 335. Copyright 2012. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form, including electronic, without written permission of the publisher. PLEASE CONTACT THE EDITOR BEFORE SUBMITTING FREELANCE CONTRIBUTIONS.
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