Issue # 187 March 2020 The The Bi-Monthly Journal of the Central Coast Classic Motorcycle Club Geoff Hookham above with two of his bikes Geoff also owns a Yamaha RZ500 similar to this one which was on display at Greta Show and Shine. He also took some photos at our last Hub Run which are inside Club Membership is by nomination only and is open to those persons interested in the restoration use and preservation of old motorcycles submitted by Geoff Hookham Hub Run February President’s Report – March 2020 Well, what an interesting year it has been so far. We started with bushfires, then floods and now Corona virus! As you are all well aware, things are changing – not daily, but hourly. Consequently, your Committee has decided that in the best interests of our members we are cancelling our March Members’ Meeting. We do not want to see our members’ health affected in any way. Other meetings may well also have to be cancelled. No doubt other motorcycling activities will suffer and one I know of, the Gloucester Motorcycle Expo, had already been cancelled. We are living in interesting times for sure. We will try and keep you informed on other activities as we become aware of them. Your patience and understanding are appreciated. If you have any concerns please feel free to contact me or any Committee Member. On Monday 16th March Merrilyn and I attended the Funeral for Wesley Hitchcock, son of Phil Hitchcock of Road and Race at Tumbi Umbi. Phil is also a past member of our club. The Chapel at Palmdale was packed (no thought of the 1.5 m exclusion zone) and most of those then followed on to the Wake at Ourimbah RSL Club. We also caught up with a few of our other ex-members – Kevin & Narelle Spackman, Jim Velliss, Tim Deeble, and Wayne & Felicity Hoad. Our long-time members will no doubt remember these people. Also, in attendance from our club was Ben Brouwers. Wes died in a motorcycle accident on Mandalong Road on 2nd March. He was only 37. A sad loss indeed. Our sympathy goes to Phil, Becky and Family. Ride safely, Mark Gattenhof President Editor’s report The past two months have been very up and down with widespread bushfire, floods and currently the Corona virus. I managed to get in a trip to Phillip Island for the World Superbike races the last one for a while due to the Virus forcing cancelation of at least one round; the ride itself to P I was very enjoyable in many places there has been a lot of re-growth and the weather held off until the last leg of my return trip when it rained from Ulladulla until Campbelltown. I bumped into club members Dean Faber and Doug Pender in the Yamaha promotion area and got some photos of a few classic bikes that had been ridden to the track or on display. The racing was extremely close with up to six bikes vying for the win in each race. Since returning from the races it has been too wet for a lot of riding but I rode up to Greta to check out their Show ‘n Shine which was well attended by both people and their bikes; one of the stand out machines there was a rare U S army Indian across the frame V twin designed for desert duty much as the civilianised Gilera 500 featured further on would have been. Thanks go to all those readers who contributed articles and photos for this issue and please note if sending photos from a mobile phone; send to my e mail address [email protected] as those sent to my phone4 message box cannot be enlarged. Clint. The mystery of what bike Mr Pirsig rode in his novel Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance has been solved by a keen reader(I thought early Honda or BMW) Hi Clinton, Thanks for your review of Zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance. It is one of my favourite books. I have read it a number of times now and each time it is like the first time. How can a bloke think like that?? I have included a couple of photos. One is of the author Robert Pirsig and his son Chris on his Honda. I believe. Regards Mark Jemmett An Excerpt From Big Country: part of a four page article. Submitted by Col Graham: The main body of the story deals with a British writer’s view of the Australian classic bike scene in 1986 and how motorcycling evolved in Australia the author’s opinion is the classic scene was entering a boom period then (1986) He also mentions the Gosford area and a rally held then Laura Thomsonhttps://www.goodwood.com/grr/race/historic/2020/1/motorcycle-hero-colin-seeley-has-died- aged-84/ Motorcycle hero Colin Seeley has died aged 84 The British motorcycle legend Colin Seeley passed away Tuesday 7th January 2020, at the age of 84 following a long battle with illness. He will be remembered for his pioneering motorcycle frames, his successful sixties sidecar racing campaign, , his charity work and, later in life, his books. Seeley’s affinity with motorcycles began at a young age, upon learning to ride his father's Vincent Rapide. After taking his licence at the age of 16, he became an apprentice for Harcourt Motorcycles, nearby to his family home in Crayford, Kent. Before long, Seeley was experienced in working on many different marques, while also repairing and motorcycles in his spare time in his parent’s garden shed. While working his way through various mechanics positions Seeley became acquainted with Bernie Ecclestone, with whom he would later work – first in the 1970s as joint Managing Director of Motor Racing Developments at Brabham, and later in 1986 with the Brabham Formula 1 team. Long before that, Seeley saw success in racing himself. His first race was a one-hour endurance event at Brands Hatch in 1954 aboard a 500cc BSA Star Twin. His second came three years later when he entered a scramble on a part-exchanged Triumph twin. This lacklustre start to his racing career was due to pressures of work. By 1958 he was riding scramblers for Greeves, before turning to sidecars come the ‘60s. Bolting a Matchless G50 race bike to a Canterbury racing sidecar, Seeley dabbled in local events before entering the Isle of Man TT in 1961 – his first Grand Prix event – and finishing sixth. From 1961 to 1967 he raced in British and world championship sidecar competitions, originally aboard his own machines with Matchless and Norton engines. But before long, he had swapped the single- cylinder Matchless for the flat-twin BMW S54 Rennsport engine. During this period, he achieved a first place at the 1964 Dutch TT and second-place finishes in the sidecar competitions at the 1964 Isle of Barry Sheen among other top racers used Man TT and the 1966 French Grand Prix at Clermont- SeeleyFerrand. frames Following his retirement from competition, the talented craftsman began producing his namesake frames, powering them initially with AJS and Matchless motorcycle engines and later with engines from the likes of Yamaha and other Japanese manufacturers. These frames – both production and race – earned a reputation for their fine handling, with Derek Minter describing it as the describing it as “the best steering solo he'd ever tried”. They were soon the race bike of choice for privateers of the era. A Phil Read replica built by In the 1969 Isle of Man Senior Colin Seeley after Read’s 1977 TT, Seeley-framed machines TT win finished third, fourth, sixth and seventh. The following year Tommy Robb rode to a fourth- place finish in the 500cc world championship aboard a Seeley. And in 1971, Barry Sheene rode a Hi-Tac Suzuki T500 engined bike to win the British national championship, before declaring it the best-handling motorcycle he had ever ridden. The popularity and highly-rated performance of Seeley’s race bikes promoted his road production bikes, a business which thrived throughout the ‘70s. Since the late ‘80s, when vintage racing rose to popularity, Seeley machines have won twelve times at the Manx Grand Prix. Following his stint alongside in automotive racing, in 1992 Seeley became involved in running the Norton Rotary race team. He dedicated much of his later life to charity work, establishing The Joan Seeley Pain Relief Memorial Trust in memory of his first wife, who died of cancer. And in 2006 and 2008, he published two autobiographies, documenting his life and memories of motorcycle racing from the 1950s to the present day. Colin Seeley made an irrefutable impact on motorcycle racing and will be greatly missed. Colin Seeley and one of his iconic creations an AJS 7R in one of his frames including bodywork Gilera 500 shaft drive side valve Nothing too special at first glance but this is a shaft drive 1930 design built in 1940 for the Italian North African war effort; the shaft drive being more durable than a chain in sandy conditions. I’m guessing the carburettor would have an air filter if it actually went to the desert this however is a civilian model which differed slightly from the military model. The chassis was designed to have a sidecar fitted with a driven wheel; note unit construction design and scissor type friction rear damping as used by Moto Guzzi Various photos British bikes at Greta A Henderson Streamline without the body shell An 841 Indian WW2 Army motorcycle on display at the Greta Show ‘n Shine: shaft drive with Moto Guzzi across the frame engine layout Motorcycle art on display at Gresford Pub An Indian Scout on display at Phillip Island Classics at Philip Island The first Z1 Kawasaki 900 in the spectator’s area and a pre-war V twin Royal Enfield outfit.