Caught up with my almost long lost cousin, Bill Macnamara last week. And reminisced amongst many other shared passions, our love of riding motorcycles – or in Bill’s case, not any old motorcycle….
For those less experienced in the sport, notice the nowdays never seen gear shift on the left side of the tank
Our thanks to Bill and to Steve at Raceframe for the use of the video.
and something for hph here:
Window Dresser's Arms, Pig & Whistle 
Thanks for putting it up TT
I won’t be able to go to sleep tonight 🙂
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Yep, that’s the one. It has a racing seat on it. Mine was a café-racer; there was seating for a pillion passenger as well. I pushed the needle of the speedometer to the maximum only once for 2 minutes on a highway. And that was it. I never did it again.
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I used to do all repairs myself. Replace the rings, replace shims etc
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Around 1962 or so my brother bought a Harley for 50 pounds and rode it home to Revesby. He put it on it’s stand but from then on it would never ever start again. No matter how he tried kick starting it, or pushing up the hill letting the clutch out. He hardly had the money to buy the petrol, let alone getting it fixed. It just refused to fire ever again. After being left on its stand for a few years and the garden slowly re-claiming it, dad got fed up and told him to get rid of it. We pushed it up the hill and left it there.
Within a few days it was gone!
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…and now you get all upset when push some shopping trolleys down the hill… 🙂
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…edit: when kids push some
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Thanks, Emmjay, I had almost exorcised that ‘mid-life crisis, let’s get a big motorcycle’ from my psyche, then I watch one video, and it’s back!
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Lovely piece of machinery. Those hardtails must be soooo comfy!
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I love the colour!
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Billy has suggested he might secure another motorcycle and prepare it for next year’s Great Race – if he can find a related rider (ahem, ahem) 🙂
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How I wish that I could be there TT. But unfortunately there is no one to look after my dogs when I’m away. I used to own a CB 1100F Honda Boldor back in ’83, and a friend of mine had an old BSA 1000 cc, almost in the same league as the old Indian, and it was a class act riding it in the countryside. Ahh those days….
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hph, what kind dogs do you have, and how many…now, that’s something I do find interesting 🙂
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Clearly, you and your mate, are used to travelling in style, hph.
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Big M, we used to travel long distances; Camp anywhere overnight; Jim Jarmusch-style coffee and cigarettes for breakfast in the morning, and back on the saddle for another day’s journey…(ahh TT .. what have you done to me? I feel the same way as Big M)
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Helvi, one is a cross between German shepherd, Rottweiler and Doberman, male, 12years old. The other one is a Chihuahua, female, long hair, also 12yo. I inherited her from my father who passed away 2 years ago. At home she is the boss. 😉
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hph, my Dad used to call that a ‘drover’s breakfast’. A smoke, a piss and good look around.
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Big M, I like it 🙂 I’ve never heard of it before!
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My goodness, hph, the Bol D’Or was – and still is one mighty motorcycle. Note – I’ll chase up a photo. Old Bike Australia did a special on it last year.
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I’d stay in very close contact with my dearest cousin, if I were you!
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Billy called me today, Big. He (very politely) corrected me. In the photo on the home page, he and Diane are riding their 1944 WL Harley. Apparently these are as rare as hen’s teeth. Harley Davidson made a huge number of WL-A Harleys for the US Army – hence the “A” in WWII, but in 1944, they only made 57 WL civilian bikes. This one has a pretty new engine.
If I’m well behaved, this is the one I’ll be riding to the Great Race – Billy is restoring three other bikes and he and Diane will be riding one of those next year. I’m looking forward to the race. Billy said some blokes go pretty quickly, but most just aim to get there with bike and rider in one piece each. As the video shows, it’s deserted country most of the time in the mountains – sometimes dry as, sometimes wet as.
The run finishes up at the Station at Jindabyne – a pretty flash off season venue suitable for resting ancient bodies and dining in style. No more camping out sleeping on the hard ground for these gentlefolk bikies.
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Thanks, Emmjay, it’s pat midnight, and I’m looking at classic bikes to purchase…what will it be, new roof, or old bike??
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Isn’t that ‘old roof’ ‘new bike’ Big M?
I’ve recently been dreaming about big bikes and owning one or sitting on the back of one owned by a friend and riding thus down the highway with my hair streaming behind me like I’m a trophy and … ok so what I’ve been dreaming about any transport that goes and sometimes an old pushie I had when I was 7 when last I saw it the spokes were broken. The old red tin pedal car is looking pretty good at the moment. 😉
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Don’t think Mrs M will see it like that…struggling to get her to agree to a new bicycle.
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