VJMC #144

Quarterly Club Mag www.vjmc.org.au

ISSUE 144

VJMC INC AUSTR ALIA

VJMC Inc Australia The Australian branch of the VJMC is a registered association incorporated in the state of New South Wales.

Objectives of the VJMC: To foster the preservation, restoration, riding and enjoyment of older Japanese motorcycles.

Club Postal Address PO Box 254 Modbury North SA 5092 Membership Applications & Renewals VJMC Inc, PO Box 254 Modbury North SA 5092 Website www.vjmc.org.au VJMC Australia Committee President John McNair | johnfour750@hotmail.com Secretary Frank Wood | frankozzie10@gmail.com Treasurer Steve Phelps | steve.phelps@bigpond.com Vice President/Public Officer David Bernardi | mrdbernardi@gmail.com Area Rep Coordinator Dave Quinn | kwakka9@ozemail.com.au Membership Secretary Mick Godfrey | mgo22098@bigpond.net.au Merchandising Officer Peter Donnellan | peted@internode.on.net Committee Member John King | pir8@internode.on.net Committee Member Stephen O’Farrell | stepheno2812@gmail.com Committee Member (Rally) Paul Rowling | motopaulie@bigpond.com Librarian Lyndon Adams | lyndarra@gmail.com Editor Tom Calderwood | tom@pepperpublishing.com.au

QUARTERLY VJMC MAGAZINE This is a forum for members in which they may advertise bikes and/or parts for sale or wanted, exchange ideas and restoration tips, seek advice, share opinions and experiences, or anything else relating to the club’s objectives. Contributions are very welcome.

144 CONTENTS

President’s Report

4

South East QLD News

6

Twelve Up To Tamworth

8

David Silver Honda Museum

14

National Rally Intro

16

Pull Out Forms - Merch & National Rally

15

Website Update

32

Honda SA250 Dream

34

Members Directory

41

Club Info

40

Club Permits/Registration

43

Membership Renewal

44

Please Contribute

45

PRESIDENTS REPORT

HELLO EVERYONE. I CAN’T BELIEVE WE ARE IN THE SECOND HALF OF THE YEAR AGAIN. LOTS OF GREAT THINGS HAVE HAPPENED THROUGHOUT THE YEAR SO FAR ESPECIALLY THAT GREAT NATIONAL RALLY. OF COURSE THERE IS ANOTHER FANTASTIC EVENT ABOUT TO HAPPEN AS I WRITE THIS AND THAT IS THE 2017 VJMC JAPAN TOUR. I went on the 2015 trip and had the best time. It was an awesome trip under the guidance of our top tour leaders. I am talking about Jeff and Jane Eales. They had been several times before and it was a huge bonus having their experience to ensure that we got to see lots of great places. Jeff’s work with Olivia at JTB ensured that the trip went smoothly with everybody had a sensational time.

Unfortunately this will be the last tour that Jeff will be taking as he has seen all the places many times and wants to check out some other places.

(Hey Jeff, got the perfect place. You could always organise a tour to the Isle of Man classic TT. Sign me up now. Just saying.)

To all those taking part in this year’s tour I hope you have fantastic time and make heaps of new friends and see lots of new amazing places. There certainly is plenty there to see. Well for me the Honda Museum was a major highlight. Oh the Suzuka 8 Hour Race was great too. Yeah okay Jeff, the Kawasaki museum was pretty good too along with the Suzuki Museum. Didn’t get to the Yamaha one.

Well Jeff, on behalf of the VJMC I would like to say a big thank you to you for the effort you have put in over the years with the Japan tours and also your commitment to the VJMC in general having worked tirelessly for the benefit of the club. A job well done mate.

It’s great to see the good roll ups on some of the Tiddler or lightweight rides in the southern states. These little ones are an important part of Japanese Motorcycling history as they are where it all started. Those little 50cc stepthru machines

4

VINTAGE JAPANESE MOTORCYCLE CLUB

got the ball rolling and soon we were adventuring up to 175’s and 250’s before taking the big plunge onto a 750. I know that in NSW they had graded registration charges with machines up to 126cc costing a certain amount and up to 251cc a bit more and then it jumped up over that. This mean’t a lot more small bikes were sold in NSW and I think Victoria had the same scheme too.

I remember one of my first pillion rides was on the back of my cousin’s Honda CB175. This was one of the very first models with the chrome sides on the tank like the CB72. It had a unique sound and it was quite fast. Well it was to me. I had just ridden the 80km over to his place in Cootamundra on the south west slopes of NSW on my Honda 50. The 50 eventually was replaced by a CB250 K1 after I moved to Sydney and seen this beautiful red and white machine in Norm Fraser’s Homebush dealership. I often would leave work on Friday evening in Sydney and head the little 250 out over the Blue Mountains through winter and summer on the four hour ride to Crowther, a small place in between Young and Cowra where my parents were living then turn around after lunch on Sunday and ride back to Sydney. Never gave a thought to kangaroo’s but then I didn’t see any either. It was a great little bike. I love my 750s and my 1100 but I also enjoy my GB400, CBX250, MT125 and CB100.

Whatever you are riding, take a pride in it and enjoy it for what it is. And most importantly keep safe.

John McNair. www.vjmc.org.au

PRESIDENTS REPORT

Jeff Eeles enjoying the Kawasaki Factory.

www.vjmc.org.au

VINTAGE JAPANESE MOTORCYCLE CLUB

5

SE QLD NEWS

SOUTH EAST QUEENSLAND NEWS

BY SCOTT ABBETT

WINTER (AND THE BUILD UP TO IT) USUALLY PRESENTS GREAT RIDING DAYS IN QUEENSLAND, AND THIS WINTER HAS BEEN NO EXCEPTION. AS I WRITE THIS, THE WEATHER IS CLEAR AS A BELL AND IT’S A PLEASANT 21 DEGREES...

What better to do then, than ride away for a weekend? We thought so, and so a few of the SEQ crew went on a weekend run up to Hervey bay at the end of April. I took my newly-acquired 1996 XTZ660 Tenere for a first long run, equipped with the Yoshimura muffler that it came to me with.

This sounded like the apocalypse was escaping from the rear of the bike, and laid waste to the ears of several members behind me (sorry Kenny). It now sports a much quieter muffler, and my ears are saved.

We took the most bent route we could, and stopped in some interesting towns along the way: Kingaroy, Wondai, Goomeri and Tairo to name a few. An antique shop in Wondai had an old Honda C72 (complete with fetching flouro-green seat) sitting outside, which attracts our type like ... well, it attracts us!

One bike is interesting enough. Inside the shop however, was a different story. There were about five or six classics in there in various stages of undress, but some very rare bikes were present (several of which I had never seen before).

Herewith a list: a Yamaha YM1 (with a spares bike out in the back shed), two Yamaha YD3 models, and a Suzuki TA250 (also with a spares bike out the back), plus yet another C72 in bits out the back. The prices being asked were a little salty for my taste ($4000 bought you the TA250, the spares bike and a box of spares), but then there was enough there to build possibly two bikes, and I’m probably tighter than a snare drum and well

6

VINTAGE JAPANESE MOTORCYCLE CLUB

out of touch to boot! I’m sure there aren’t too many TA250s out there.

We stayed at the Urangan Motor Inn at Hervey Bay (worth a stay if you’re travelling that way). The next day, we met up with several members from that neck of the woods at a rock ‘n roll café. One member brought a fascinating collection of rare Japanese-language motorcycle history books, which yielded photographs of bikes that very few Westerners will ever have seen, nor will they ever be likely to see! Did you know, for example, that Olympus (yes, the camera manufacturer) built a prototype inline two stroke triple with lay-down cylinders in the 50’s? You can’t make this stuff up.

From the café we ventured to a hotrod meet at the local school, which also happened to have quite a number of bikes to ogle as well. There, we met up with yet another member who was proudly displaying his 50s Tohatsu Hurry 250. He has owned this bike since it was virtually brand new.

He remarked that it also does nothing like the name suggests, and in fact many journeys usually ended with a push home! A very rare bike though and still in running condition, despite having worked hard for a living all those years!

The journey back took us through the state forest areas and thence a fast(ish) run down the Bruce toward home. In all, a great weekend out and a good example of what we should be doing more often! There are more weekend rides planned for the second half of 2017 so check out the ride calendar, saddle up and join us!

www.vjmc.org.au

SE QLD NEWS

www.vjmc.org.au

VINTAGE JAPANESE MOTORCYCLE CLUB

7

T W ELV E UP TO

TWELVE UP TO TAMWORTH

BY ANDREW DOMASEVICIUS

OUR CORE GROUP PLUS VARIOUS OTHERS HAVE BEEN GOING TO THE VJMC NATIONAL RALLIES FOR THE PAST FEW YEARS AND FOR SOME OF OUR GROUP PERHAPS LONGER. AND SO WE SET OUT FOR, AT LEAST, MY LONGEST RIDE TO A RALLY FROM MELBOURNE TO TAMWORTH. Our core group consisted of the following in no particular order: - Greg Costello on Honda Goldwing - Paul Woods on Suzuki V-Strom 650 - Brian Hunt on (modern) Triumph Bonneville - Sam Panettieri on Suzuki GSX750F - Ron Jarmyn on Honda CBX - Andrew Domasevicius on Suzuki GS850G - Peter Stephens on Kawasaki KLR 650 - Peter Gustavsen on Triumph Sprint - Sam Bateman on Honda RC30 - Damien Lewer on Honda VFR 750 - Ian Lynch on Moto Guzzi Breva 1100 - Paul Absolum on Can Am Spider Sadly, the elder statesman of our group and the author of last year’s 10 up to Canberra article, Colin Hopkins wasn’t able to join us.

We decided to do the ride from Melbourne to Tamworth in 3 days so that we could enjoy a more leisurely ride rather than simply have our eyes focused on the continuous or broken white line. We met on Wednesday 1 March for a 9.00 am start at Ringwood. Fortunately, this year we all met at the same place! We went up the Melba Hwy to Yea for coffee where we picked up Damien and Paul (on his Can Am) and then headed to Mansfield where we picked up Ian. At this point Sam left us to visit a friend and meet us in Tamworth.

Those from Melbourne and central Victoria will know the great ride from Mansfield to Whitfield.

8

VINTAGE JAPANESE MOTORCYCLE CLUB

It is a winding road over and along the mountain ridges with magnificent views.

We stopped at Beechworth for lunch where our group’s minor breakages and incidents started!

Greg’s Goldwing broke its clutch cable. It being a Honda Greg was astounded that it could break down, however we assured him that it was not the bike’s fault but the swap rider who probably wasn’t familiar with it. This was the beginning of our group repairs. It was mostly, 4-5 riders consulting on repairs and no- one being able to fix it. In the end, Greg decided to stay behind to fix his clutch cable and the rest of us took off for Wagga Wagga via the Olympic Highway where we planned to stay overnight. Fortunately, Greg was able to have his clutch cable fixed and met us at Wagga Wagga later in the day. A total of about 510 kms travelled on the first day.

www.vjmc.org.au

TAMWORTH

The group consultations weren’t limited to bike repairs. At every stop we carefully consulted our maps to ensure that we were indeed heading north and not west or south!

We stayed at the William Farrer Hotel where we enjoyed a fine pub dinner on our very own reserved table.

We did our own thing for breakfast. Brian and I headed out to the Blessed Bean Café around the corner for a delicious and gourmet start to the day.

We regrouped after breakfast, loaded up and took off along the Olympic Hwy. I have to confess it is a long time since I have been to rural NSW and have never before headed north

www.vjmc.org.au

along this route. The scenery gradually changed to dry plains, grain silos standing silently and imposingly by railways with the occasional and almost endless freight train snaking along.

I couldn’t help but think that here we were travelling in the “real” Australia and what a world away it is from my urban life.

I was roused from my daydreaming in Cootamundra to find that Damien’s VFR had stopped with the usual crush of our riders surrounding his bike and offering their thoughts. Electrical? Wiring? Fortunately, it was simply a matter of replacing the battery which he did at the local bike shop.

VINTAGE JAPANESE MOTORCYCLE CLUB

9

T W ELV E UP TO

All good, so we continued our trek along the Olympic to stop at Cowra for lunch where we were greeted with the sad news of another incident. Poor Peter had missed his footing whilst trying to park on a steep incline and dropped his Triumph. Broke his footpeg, bent his gear lever and some oil spilt onto his cylinders. Thankfully, nothing too dramatic.

Peter was able to get it fixed and re-join us.

Whilst we were enjoying our lunch on the balcony on a vine covered cafe to our surprise we saw Sam Bateman ride past on his Honda RC30! From Dubbo we rode to Molong to join the Mitchell Hwy and onto Dubbo for the night.

Another 425 kms or so.

Refreshed after a good night’s sleep and breakfast we journeyed on towards Tamworth.

It’s inevitable that you will see animal roadkill along the way, however just past Gilgandra I was unexpectedly confronted by motorbike roadkill!

As I approached it I wondered, surely no-one could do such a thing to a Jap bike? Thankfully, no. It was a Hyosung.

We stopped at Coonabarabran and then up the Oxley Hwy to Tamworth. 325 kms. A total of about 1,260 kms.

Some of us had founding lodgings at the caravan park. Having attacked the accommodation issue late Paul Woods, Brian and I had to book off-site.

Brian had found a comfortable house for us, but

Still smiling after 3 days on the road

10

VINTAGE JAPANESE MOTORCYCLE CLUB

www.vjmc.org.au

TAMWORTH

when we arrived we were told it had been doublebooked. So we were shunted off to a 3 bedroom unit in North Tamworth.

Understandably, Brian felt we had been poorly treated but it really didn’t matter. It was fine and in any case we spent little time there.

I really didn’t think that there would be so many registrants and bikes at the rally. At the registration desk I was told there were about 240 registrants and about 270 bikes. I thought this was a fantastic turnout.

We knew that the weather was likely to be

www.vjmc.org.au

wettish and humid in Tamworth so we were not surprised that it drizzled on the Saturday morning ride. It being my first time to Tamworth and not having a GPS on the bike I had no idea where we went. It seemed like it was in circles and may have been, but it didn’t matter. The ride and scenery were enjoyable. We stopped along the way for an impromptu break. It is always a pleasure to check out the other bikes, but this didn’t last long. The heavens opened and the lineup suddenly resembled a Le Mans style running start to depart.

VINTAGE JAPANESE MOTORCYCLE CLUB

11

T W ELV E UP TO

Returning to the host venue we parked our bikes for the show and shine event. What a fantastic sight it was. A sea of vintage Japanese bikes and an opportunity to meet old friends from past rallies.

A few of us went to have a pizza lunch at the Quality Hotel next to the Power House Motorbike Museum which we visited after lunch. A fantastic collection of vintage bikes, but with one notable omission. It doesn’t have a Suzuki GS850! I couldn’t believe it. I am sure the owner must be looking for one on the internet.

Knowing that the Rally dinner was on Saturday evening we decided to head back to our unit to rest and freshen up. The West Tamworth Leagues Club was an excellent venue for the dinner as can be seen by the smiling faces on the Melbourne table. (attach photo 9 of group dinner) Another good ride on Sunday morning and the Rally came to an all too soon conclusion.

As is usually the case, the riding group disintegrated for the ride home. Some were keen to get back to Melbourne before Sunday evening and others, like Paul Woods and me were happy to take our time and return in 3 days. All of us had tales to tell of our respective trips home. I even heard the tale of one rider who decided to take after a V8 Ford or similar car which was doing double the speed limit only to go over a rise and pass the local constabulary. To avoid

12

VINTAGE JAPANESE MOTORCYCLE CLUB

any undesired questions or consequences he apparently ran off the road and hid in the long grass. But I thought to myself, nah, that can’t be right. Surely, none of would have exceeded the speed limit by even 2 kms! There is no possibility of that happening.

Before leaving Tamworth, Paul Woods, Brian and I stopped at the big yellow guitar to a look around.

As the sky looked threatening we didn’t linger long and headed out for the long ride home.

We decided to take a different route so we headed south along the New England Hwy. At Muswellbrook we stopped for lunch. As there was not much on offer we eat at Subway (I think my first time and it was OK). We then turned south west to Denman and rode west along the Golden Hwy to just past Cassilis. Another turn south to Mudgee. As we rode past the Goulburn River National Park we just managed to stop in time to put on our wet weather gear for the first time. It rained steadily until we were not far from Mudgee.

We booked rooms at one of the local hotels. It was good to get all the gear off and have a shower and put on street clothes. After a pre-dinner drink at the hotel we walked down the main street in search of dinner. We found a fantastic Thai restaurant and enjoyed a wonderful dinner.

The next morning Brian left early as he had to

www.vjmc.org.au

TAMWORTH

be home by Tuesday evening leaving Paul and me to enjoy a leisurely breakfast with newspaper at a local café. The weather was warm and country air fine. I was pleasantly surprised how attractive these country towns are.

Paul and I then headed south east along the Castlereagh Hwy to Ilford where we turned south to Bathurst. We stopped to look around the historic town of Sofala which looked like time had stood still since the mid-19th century. In marked contrast was Bathurst. A gracious and historic regional city where we enjoyed lunch. After a quick stroll around the centre we headed out. Of course, we couldn’t leave without doing a lap of honour at Mt Panorama. We weren’t the only ones with the same idea as you can see Ron did the same on his CBX. It was my first time at Bathurst and on the Mt Panorama race track. We rode the track anti-clock wise riding down the hill at the back of the track. Even at slow speed it is to be respected. (attach photo 11 at Mt Panorama) From Bathurst we went south along the Western Hwy. Paul was keen to stop at Cowra to visit the site of the enemy aliens and POW internment camp. Most of the inhabitants of the Camp were Japanese and Italians. Reading the information posters at the site I was struck by the enormous

www.vjmc.org.au

cultural difference between the Italians and the Japanese. Whilst the Japanese were busy committing hara-kiri or attempting to escape the Italians were busy singing, cooking and the men arranging trysts with local Aussie girls.

None of this getting killed whilst trying to escape silliness for the Italians!

We rode on to Young where we stayed at a motel for the night. The next morning we continued south via Tumut for lunch, Corryong and stopped at Yackandandah, back in Victoria, for our final night away. An attractive town but unfortunately, lacking in dining options. So we headed to the pub.

Our final day was retracing our route from the first day. I was pleased that I was able to return on one tank of petrol from Beechworth to Melbourne. Exactly 300 kms. Overall, we travelled nearly 3,000 kms over 8 days. Apart from topping up on oil the GS went like a clock.

It is a testament to the quality and reliability of Japanese motorbikes from the 1970’s and early 1980’s that they can still be ridden all day and for consecutive days without any problems. Well, at least a Suzuki.

We were glad to hear that everyone had returned home safely. A terrific trip, good company and now pondering the next trip .....

VINTAGE JAPANESE MOTORCYCLE CLUB

13

VJMC INC AUSTR ALIA

THE DAVID SILVER SPARES HONDA MUSEUM L E I S T O N , S U F F O L K

BY ALLAN DYKSTRA

OVER THE PAST 10 TO 15 YEARS, SINCE RESTORING MY HONDA CB500 FOUR, I HAVE QUITE OFTEN USED A COMPANY - BASED IN A SMALL TOWN ABOUT 140KM NORTH EAST OF LONDON - FOR PARTS CALLED DAVID SILVER SPARES.

David Silver built his business in the mid 80s by buying NOS parts for Honda motorcycles from distributors and dealers all over United Kingdom, Europe and America. Today he has parts for more than 1,000 different models at his Suffolk business and now at a similar business in Pennsylvania, U.S.A. His first purchase was a few hundred pounds of NOS petrol tanks and mudguards. Although he still has considerable NOS parts, a lot are remanufactured. When I bought the 4 exhaust pipes for my 500 in mid 2000 they where original stamped HM323; now they are the same but not Honda manufactured. In June 2016 he built a museum beside his parts warehouse to house

14

VINTAGE JAPANESE MOTORCYCLE CLUB

a large collection of Honda’s he had acquired.

A good number of the bikes in the museum were acquired from Bob Logue Motorsports in Pennsylvania. Bob started as a dealer in the 1970s and each time a customer traded in a Honda he added to his private collection.

A well known TV presenter, James May of Top Gear fame, also has a strong passion for Japanese motorcycles and officially opened the museum.

So it was a foregone decision that on a recent visit to the United Kingdom and Europe my wife Cheryl and I drove down to Suffolk to visit the museum and as a sideline buy some parts. Our entry to the museum was 10 pounds each with a lovely 120 page glossy bound book and 2 floors of Hondas, www.vjmc.org.au

VJMC INC AUSTR ALIA

from the first 50cc 2 stroke powered bicycle to the 1992 NR750-N Fireblade costing 38,000 pounds at the time.

On greeting you on entry, apart from the mass of bikes, were two Hondas on a circular pedestal. One is a 1961 C100 Super Cub, known as the step thru, of which 80 million units have been produced world wide, a record unlikely to be beaten. The second was an original 1969 Dream CB750 bought on eBay from America for US $148,100 (I guess the $100.00 clinched the deal!) The CB750 sand cast model had a total of 7,400 units produced this one on show has a unique frame # of 1000750. www.vjmc.org.au

VINTAGE JAPANESE MOTORCYCLE CLUB

15

VJMC NATIONAL R ALLY

16

VINTAGE JAPANESE MOTORCYCLE CLUB

www.vjmc.org.au

VJMC NATIONAL R ALLY

2018 NATIONAL RALLY TAMWORTH FRIDAY MARCH 2ND TO SUNDAY MARCH 4TH GREETINGS FROM THE FABULOUS NORTHWEST NEW SOUTH WALES! BY THE TIME YOU READ THIS THE COLDER MONTHS WILL BE DRAWING TO A CLOSE AND I AM SURE WE ARE ALL LOOKING FORWARD TO GETTING OUT ON OUR MOTORCYCLES. So therefore we are very happy to announce the publication of the entry form for next year’s National Rally, which will once again be held here in Tamworth.

We have made an effort to simplify the entry process this year. The entry form and FAQ pages are now separate documents to save space and are available in non- interactive PDF, which means you print it, fill it in, then either scan it and email it back to us or pop it in the post. Payment options are still cheque or EFT (don’t forget to use your surname and postcode in the reference so we know whose money it is). With EFT payments you print a receipt then scan and email it with your entry or use the snail option.

You’ll find on the form we have asked that all rider entrants complete an entry form of their own; this is to help us ensure that everyone gets the correct merchandise. If, however, you are bringing a pillion or dinner guest, (be it a spouse, child or other significant person in your life), that person can still be entered on your form for meals.

Remember though that only one tee shirt and badge is provided per entry so if your guest wants a shirt or badge you will have to order that for them.

www.vjmc.org.au

With Mr Barnum’s famous quote in mind, virtually all the feedback we received following this year’s Rally was positive. However we are taking a few steps in an effort to tweak it a little for next year.

But the basic programme remains unchanged: the meet and greet registration bar-b-que will once again be held at the Paradise Tourist Park, Peel Street on Friday evening; the breakfast and muster point for Saturday will be at the Oxley Lookout; the display at the CMA carpark and the presentation dinner will be held in West Tamworth Leagues Club’s Blazes auditorium. A short ride follows the AGM on Sunday morning and to cater for the stragglers we may have an informal “leftovers” dinner on Sunday evening at a venue to be announced.

If you have any queries regarding the Rally please contact us at vjmc.tamworth@gmail.com or on 0402 697 175 and we will be happy to help you in any way we can.

See you in Tamworth, Paul Rowling.

VINTAGE JAPANESE MOTORCYCLE CLUB

17

Phone 6766 3120 or visit www.paradisetouristpark.com.au/Accommodation

The Tamworth National Rally will be based at Paradise Tourist Park, 575 Peel Street Tamworth.

Rally Headquarters

For further information, visit Destination Tamworth.

The Tamworth Region and North West NSW offer a diverse selection of attractions for the discerning traveller.

What to see and do in Tamworth and North West NSW

The Tamworth Area Group invites you to attend the VJMC National Rally in the fabulous North West NSW region from 2 r d -4 t h March 2018. The rally will offer a variety of rides (including some suitable for tiddlers), quality trophies, great food and the opportunity to make new friends and catch up with old friends (or young ones!) from across Australia and overseas.

Invitation

Rally Information Sheet

Vintage Japanese Motorcycle Club National Rally Tamworth NSW 2-4 MARCH 2018

www.edwardparrymotel.com

www.austintouristpark.com.au

Appendix 1 Rally Accommodation Sponsors

www.abrahamlincoln.com.au

www.econolodgetamworth.com.au

If my partner is a rider entrant, can he/she enter on my form?

No. If your partner is a rider-entrant, they must complete a separate event registration form.

What accommodation providers are supporting this rally?

A list of preferred providers appears as Appendix 1 on Page 3.

Is there an extra charge for bringing more than one motorcycle?

Yes – your 1st registered motorcycle is free. A fee of $5 is payable for each extra motorcycle registered.

What rally merchandise will be available?

A complimentary National Rally short sleeved T-shirt is offered as part of the entry fee for each entrant.

Q. A.

Q. A.

Q. A.

Q. A.

Additional shirts can be purchased by pre-order only. Delivery at the rally is NOT guaranteed for orders placed after 3rd February 2018.

Entrants can upgrade to a Long Sleeve T-Shirt or a commemorative National Rally Polo Shirt at the time of entry.

How many people can I register on the Event Registration form?

Only one rider-entrant and their pillion/guest can be registered per form.

Q. A.

Registration Form FAQ

2018 VJMC National Rally

PLANNING A RIDE

(preferred)

Rally Enquiries: 0402 697175 or vjmc.tamworth@gmail.com

 Payment by Direct Deposit

Payment Details  Payment by Cheque/Money Order Vintage Japanese Motorcycle Club Inc

Please make cheque/money order payable to: Post or email your entry to:

Capacity

Make

Motorcycle #2 ($5 extra per bike) Year Rego#

Yes 

Model * Concours Condition

No 

We will email and text you a confirmation of entry

CBA 062-801 1024 0696 VJMC Rally Account Your Postcode and Surname Financial Institution: BSB Number: Account Number: Account Name: Reference:

VJMC Rally Registrar PO Box 1996 Tamworth 2340 or vjmc.tamworth@gmail.com

Motorcycle Details Make Capacity No 

Motorcycle #1 (included in entry fee) Year Rego#

Yes 

Model ∗ Concours Condition

∗ Only select Yes if motorcycle is in Concours condition (ie ex-factory condition–may be original or restored).

Please note that motorcycles entered in the Concours class will not be considered for other awards.

Your entry fee includes your first motorcycle only.

21

VINTAGE JAPANESE MOTORCYCLE CLUB

www.vjmc.org.au

Mobile Phone #

Postal Address

S

M

L

XL

Size

S

M

L

XL

2XL

2XL

3XL

3XL

5XL

5XL

Non-VJMC Member @ $ 50.00

or ď€ $20 credit towards merchandise below

OR

Additional Rally T-Shirt ($20.00) (Indicate quantity next to size)

Size

Complimentary Rally T-Shirt (Free)

Merchandise (circle size required)

VJMC Member @ $ 40.00

Registration Fee (includes one Badge and one Short Sleeve T-Shirt) (Please tick)

Special dietary requirements (for Saturday Dinner):

Email Address

VJMC Member #

Pillion/Guest Name

Home Phone #

VJMC Member #

Entrant Name

$

No charge

$

All persons attending the rally, taking part in rides and/or displaying motorcycles MUST register One Entrant per entry form please

Tamworth NSW ~ 2-4 March 2018 Event Registration Form

Vintage Japanese Motorcycle Club National Rally

MELBOURNE METRO

www.vjmc.org.au

VINTAGE JAPANESE MOTORCYCLE CLUB

23

SHOW & SHINE

24

VINTAGE JAPANESE MOTORCYCLE CLUB

www.vjmc.org.au

ALSTONVILLE

www.vjmc.org.au

VINTAGE JAPANESE MOTORCYCLE CLUB

25

VJMC NATIONAL R ALLY

26

VINTAGE JAPANESE MOTORCYCLE CLUB

www.vjmc.org.au

S

M

L

XL

2XL

S

M

L

XL

3XL

(Indicate Quantity)

2XL

3XL

@ $10 each

5XL

5XL

BBQ Steak & Salads Sausage, Egg and Bacon Roll 2 Courses & Tea/Coffee Sausage, Egg and Bacon Roll

@ $18.00 @ $10.00 @ $40.00 @ $10.00

@ $5.00 each

Total Payment

Late Fee (per person for entries received after 3 February 2018)

Extra Motorcycle/s

Total for Pre-Ordered Meals

Total for Registration and Merchandise

Payments Due

Extra Motorcycle/s

Qty

@ $10 p/p

Extra Motorcycle Payments (1st motorcycle included in registration fee)

Total for Pre-Ordered Meals

Friday Dinner (Paradise Tourist Park) Saturday Breakfast (Oxley Lookout) Saturday Dinner (West Tamworth League) Sunday Breakfast (Paradise Tourist Park)

Qty Qty Qty Qty

Pre-Ordered Meals (lunches will be available for purchase but do not need to be pre-ordered)

Total Registration and Merchandise Fee

Additional Rally Badge

Size

Commemorative Rally Polo Shirt ($35.00 or $15 if using the above credit)

Size

Long Sleeve Rally T-Shirt ($27.50 or $7.50 after using above credit)

A $ B $ C $ $ $

C $

B $

$ $ $ $

A $

$

$

$

Your entry fee includes your first motorcycle only.

Each additional motorcycle entered will incur a $5 entry fee.

If you enter more than two motorcycles, please attach another sheet showing the details.

Indemnity Statement – for all persons intending to ride and/or display a motorcycle at the rally

I have a current and valid motorcycle license that covers the use of the motorcycle(s) I will be riding in NSW.

I will not hold the VJMC or any of its representatives or sponsors responsible for any damage to or theft of machinery or possessions or for any bodily injury sustained during the course of the VJMC Rally. a.

The motorcycle(s) I ride will have full or concessional registration, or be operating under a permit scheme, and have third party insurance that covers the use of the motorcycle(s) whilst riding in N.S.W. during the VJMC Rally.

1.

b.

I will observe the terms and conditions of the relevant registration/permit scheme for the motorcycle(s) I ride.

If I plan to ride a motorcycle during the VJMC Rally I declare and confirm that:

c.

I accept that VJMC Rally organizers reserve the right to prevent riders and/or motorcycles not complying with any of these conditions, from taking part in rally rides.

2.

d.

________________________________

I accept the judge’s decision will be final and that absolutely NO correspondence or protests will be accepted.

Signature:

e.

Main Entrant Name: _____________________________

________________________________

(Rally Registration not valid unless this form is signed)

Signature:

_______________________________________

Pillion/Guest Name: _____________________________ Date:

Rally Enquiries: 0402 697175 or vjmc.tamworth@gmail.com

Who can I contact if I need more information?

Please email or phone the Rally Registrar on vjmc.tamworth@gmail.com or 0402 697 175

How can I enter the rally?

Follow these steps:

Q. A.

Q. A.

5. Pay Rally Entry Fee (as per instructions on Page 2 of Event Registration Form) by: a. Cheque/Money Order (attach to Entry Form) or b. Direct Deposit (Note: this is the preferred option)

Download Entry Form and save it to your Desktop (or another location on your computer) Print the form Complete the form Return completed form (as per instructions on Page 2 of Event Registration Form) by: a. Post or b. Scanning and emailing to vjmc.tamworth@gmail.com

Can I change any details after I have registered?

Additions and changes to bikes entered for the rally will be accepted until 24 February 2018.

Q. A.

1.

2.

3.

4.

What is the cut-off date for rally registrations?

NO new registrations or changes to existing registrations for merchandise and/or pre-ordered meals, will be accepted after Friday 3 rd February.

Q. A.

Additional shirts can be purchased by pre-order only. Delivery at the rally is NOT guaranteed for orders placed after 3rd February 2018.

www.almondinnmotel.com.au

www.qualityhotelpowerhouse.com.au

www.econolodgetamworth.com.au

www.roydonsmotorinn.com.au

www.townandcountrymotorinn.com.au

www.edwardparrymotel.com

Page 3 of 3

Sunday 4 March

Breakfast and muster point for local rides will be the Tamworth Oxley Lookout, at the top of White Street, East Tamworth from where we will depart on a scenic ride through the Tamworth countryside, returning to the CMA carpark for the lunchtime Show & Shine which will include the Concourse division.

Saturday 3 March

Following the AGM there will be a leisurely ride through the countryside after which riders will return to Paradise Tourist Park to bid farewell to friends old and new.

The VJMC Annual General Meeting (AGM) will be held at Paradise Tourist Park at 8.30 am.

Members are invited to attend to elect office bearers and to find out what has been happening with the Club.

The presentation of awards will take place during the dinner.

The Annual Dinner will be held in the Blazes Auditorium of West Tamworth Leagues Club, Phillips Street, West Tamworth.

The 2018 National Rally will commence on Friday evening with Rally registration and a casual BBQ dinner at the Paradise Tourist Park, adjacent to the Country Music Academy Museum.

Friday 2 March

Program

Please see Appendix 1 for the contact details of other preferred accommodation providers.

Accommodation Options

Phone 6766 3120 or visit www.paradisetouristpark.com.au/Accommodation

VJM WCE B N SA ITTI EO NU AP LD AR TAEL L Y

WEBSITE UPDATE VJMC.ORG.AU IF YOU’VE LOGGED ONTO OUR WEBSITE LATELY YOU WOULD HAVE NOTICED A FEW CHANGES...

AND IF YOU HAVEN’T IT’S TIME TO LOG IN TO CATCH UP ON WHAT’S GOING ON. If you’re new to the club, and haven’t set up your web account yet, this is a good time to get started.

Send an email to webmaster@vjmc.org.au including your full name, membership number and a preferred web site account name.

The Website Working Group has been collecting input, reviewing and refreshing the website to make it easier for you to find current information.

With the project commencing in April, the first stage has been to identify needs and improvements that could be acted on relatively quickly and easily with our existing framework. This is an ongoing project, so there will be more to come – and we will need your input. As work progresses, club members may be asked to provide input or assist with the project. Thanks to the effort put in so far, the software platform has been updated, and considerable housekeeping has been done to help things run more smoothly, including improved administrative processes to manage membership growth as the VJMC approaches 1500 members.

Just like giving your bike a birthday, it helps if the mechanics are kept in good tune.

Based on member input, there are now 4 new tabs and 4 updated tabs to make information easier to find.

32

VINTAGE JAPANESE MOTORCYCLE CLUB

Other work so far includes: • Updated information about the VJMC on the Home page and added a short club history.

• Links page now includes VJMC on Facebook where we can publish photos as a “shop window” • Links to other VJMC Facebook pages that are used within the club and links to motorcycling safety, motorcycling news and other motorcycling items of interest.

• New and more complete membership info and supporting procedures. New Club Permit/Rego page.

• Updated Merchandise page with high res photos of items for sale. Updated Contact Us page.

• New Area Reps and Meetings pages, which have general contact information for the general public, and more detailed contact information if you log in as a VJMC member.

• New Honour Board carrying information on National Committee members over the years, Life Members, etc.

The next stage is to look into further improvements, what the club and members need for the future, and how to get there.

www.vjmc.org.au

WEB TA S IMT W E OURPTDHA T E

The website relies on members to keep it current, so you can help by using it, putting in reports on club activities, putting planned rides into the calendar and so on so that all members can see what’s happening, where, when, and who to contact - communications works best when everyone is involved and the information is all there and available to all. We’d also like to keep the photos

www.vjmc.org.au

used at the top of the webpage rotating so that we have current activities shown there – which will come from your photos of club activities.

If you have some ideas to contribute, Website Discussion and Feedback has its own section in the Forum or you can send an email to webcontent@vjmc.org.au with your suggestions etc.

VINTAGE JAPANESE MOTORCYCLE CLUB

33

1956 HONDA SA250 DREAM

1956 HONDA SA250 DREAM

I IMPORTED THIS EARLY HONDA DREAM FROM JAPAN DURING 2015. I PURCHASED IT FROM A MOTORCYCLE RESELLER WHO SPECIALIZES IN COLLECTABLE MOTORCYCLES AND WHO IS BASED IN THE NORTH SUBURBS OF TOKYO.

BY TONY SCULPHER

The 1955/1956 SA250 + SB350 Dream models, and the subsequent 1957 ME250 + MF350 Dream models were the first 250 cc and 350 cc models that Honda Motor Company ever manufactured, and were the first step by Honda to enter the larger capacity “ sports “ motorcycle market. These new models featured a number of technologies and features that the Honda motorcycle brand would later become famous for.

From my research it became quite clear that this range of Honda models were a direct result of events that Soichiro Honda experienced during the early 1950’s; the first being his two

34

VINTAGE JAPANESE MOTORCYCLE CLUB

month trip to Europe commencing late May 1954 to visit established manufacturers’ there; and secondly the relaxation of duty and tariffs for imported motorcycles to Japan for domestic manufacturers (only), encouraging those very same manufacturers to buy in an overseas motorcycle for any form of “ technical inspection “ (read: copying !). This incentive was initiated in order to help kick start the fledging motorcycle industry in Japan; to adopt mostly superior international designs and technologies, and ultimately to fast track the supply of transport to eager consumers.

www.vjmc.org.au

1956 HONDA SA250 DREAM

It is well documented that a large cross section of Japanese motorcycle manufacturers copied international designs and with their own modifications. The best known examples are Rikuo manufactured their own version of the Harley Davidson 750 cc v- twin (under license); Meguro manufactured their own version of the BSA 500 cc twin cylinder model A7 (later absorbed by Kawasaki and produced as the W1 series with 650 cc capacity); and both Suzuki and Yamaha manufactured their own versions of the Adler 250 cc two stroke twin.

Soichiro Honda and his right hand man, Takeo Fujisawa , wasted no time when in Europe. They toured major motorcycle manufacturers such as NSU and Kreidler in West Germany, Moto Guzzi in Italy, and Triumph in England. They took every opportunity to examine any of the major European brands in their “ fact finding “ tour. As a designer and manufacturer, Soichiro Honda recognized the outstanding German design and high quality finish of both the NSU and the Horex motorcycles:

www.vjmc.org.au

they were the benchmark for his philosophies.

They also visited automobile manufacturers’ DAF in Holland and Volkswagen in West Germany to investigate their production techniques. Even the German and Italian made scooters that where ever present in European streets, and all that was displayed in retail motorcycle dealerships were not ignored. Soichiro Honda formed an admiration for the power and speed of the NSU racing machinery that he witnessed at the 1954 Isle Of Man TT races. And it is this admiration of the NSU brand that would heavily influence his own new designs from this point onwards.

There is an infamous (and unsubstantiated story) of when Soichiro Honda was returning home from his 1954 European trip, he had three suitcases and was only allowed two on the plane.

Wearing as many clothes as he could, he left his last suitcase containing the balance of his clothes at the Rome International Airport. His priority was to bring home the valuable cargo of motorcycle components including tachometers,

VINTAGE JAPANESE MOTORCYCLE CLUB

35

1956 HONDA SA250 DREAM

spark plugs, rims, magnetos, carburettors, drive chain, and tyres that he had purchased on the trip. These were duly inspected and copied by the Honda Motor Company and their selected local component suppliers.

As stated, the design and manufacture of the Honda SA + SB Dream and the ME + MF Dream series were the result of the above events. But these new single cylinder overhead camshaft Honda’s were expensive, and were marketed as top of the range, prestige, luxury models for the Japanese domestic market. Their production runs were not large as they were pioneering new models for the sports market and were very expensive. The emergence of the new 344.6 cc SB model also signaled that Honda was now ready to expand their products outside the traditional commuter engine capacities of up to 250 cc.

From my limited research, it is understood that the SB350 Dream model was considerably more expensive (nearly double !) than the SA250 Dream, despite being almost identical in size and sharing most components. This would indeed be a factor why so few were possibly sold, and ultimately why so few have survived to this day.

The SA + SB Dream models with their German appearance (notably the engine castings, pressed steel frame, single seat, carrier and rear fender design) mirror both the Horex Regina models and the NSU models from the early 1950’s era. The later ME + MF Dream models with their leading link front end tended to look more like the early 1950’s NSU Super Max in appearance.

The SB350 Dream owner manual openly declares that the motorcycle has been manufactured “ to maximize that comparable to NSU of Germany “ !

The 89 cc J series Benly models released in 1953 were copied from the smaller NSU Fox design,

36

VINTAGE JAPANESE MOTORCYCLE CLUB

but with some of Hondas’ own improvements, especially the design of the telescopic front forks.

The German styling influence remained in the Honda motorcycle range right into the 1960’s, especially those models that featured press steel frames, for example the C72 and C77 Dream models. If you see one of these 1960’s Dreams with the single saddle option, then you can clearly see the 1950’s German design. I strongly suspect that Honda added the leading link front forks to the ME + MF Dream models to emulate current trends seen in Japanese racing motorcycles from around 1957 onwards. Remember that the most prestigious event on the Japanese racing calendar was the Mount Asama races and these races were on unsealed roads of volcanic ash. Many of the racing motorcycles at Mount Asama featured leading link front ends in order to adapt to the unsealed roads.

The single cylinder overhead camshaft engine is Honda’s first ever overhead camshaft engine, and their first ever model with a four speed transmission. With this engine, Soichiro Honda was already stamping his mark as an individual

www.vjmc.org.au

1956 HONDA SA250 DREAM

manufacturer by innovating – he added his own design of chain drive for the camshaft eliminating the gear drive of the Horex Regina engine he copied. The engine crankcases and exterior covers of the Honda engine all look similar to those of the Horex engine.

By no means was Honda the first manufacturer of overhead camshaft motorcycle engines in Japan at this time: Sanyo, Showa, Pearl, Hosk and Portly all had attempted overhead camshaft designs of their own, unfortunately without good design which a ected reliability. Liner had also duplicated the English Sunbeam in line twin design, again with an overhead camshaft design.

The carburettors’ used on the SA + SB Dream and ME + MF Dream series are a metric version (read: copied) of the English Amal carburettor, and were manufactured by Mikuni in Japan.

What is not recorded is what had transpired to gain the manufacturing rights. My suspicions are that back in the mid 1950’s, this type of copying was mostly ignored at the time by the established manufacturers in Europe and North America. As Japan was only manufacturing motorcycles for their domestic market and were not exporting to their markets, Soichiro Honda was not ever considered a threat to them when he visited their factories in the Northern hemisphere Summer of 1954. His timing was incredibly lucky as the manufacturers happily answered his many questions without hesitation. Little did they know that they were fueling the fire...

The front forks on the SA + SB series imitate English Norton forks of the era in thier design, right down to the imperial dimensions for the fork seals. The headlamp cowling including the two horizontally split housings complete with chrome side mouldings are reminiscent of the 1950 Triumph Thunderbird. The rear swing arm design was definitely a leading edge technology for Japanese manufacturers in the mid 1950’s. Most brands offered traditional plunger rear ends, with exception in the case of the early 1950s’ Honda

www.vjmc.org.au

Benly models’ combined rear torsion suspension and engine .

Interesting Honda innovated with fibreglass technology early. The SA + SB Dream and ME + MF Dream models feature early fibreglass panels including the upper headlamp shroud and their left hand side covers’. This also may be an attempt

by Honda to help reduce the overall weight.

The portly single cylinder 1955 SA250 Dream weighed in at 171 kg (377 lbs) and it weighs a little more than a four cylinder 1972 Honda CB350F at 169 kg (373 lbs) dry. The performance was also disappointing due to the poor power to weight ratio. As far as sporting performance goes, they were simply too heavy and underpowered to compete with the lighter twin cylinder two stroke performance offered by some of the current competition, especially the Suzuki Colleda, with an incredible (!) 16 hp on tap.

The SA + SB Dream models were released in April (SB350) and May (SA250) 1955 (Spring in Japan and the Northern Hemisphere), and again were clearly positioned to sell as the top of the line/premium luxury/ touring models from Honda.

The materials, engineering, machining tolerances and heat treatments of the Honda products’ were better than the competition. The high tolerance machining was a direct result of Soichiro Honda’s investment in modern and very expensive West German, Swiss and American manufactured machine tools purchased during 1953. Due to the increased productivity created by these new machine tools, coupled with lower production costs, Honda motorcycles were increasingly competitive in cost and quality, especially as the production volumes increased.

Honda subsequently outsold its’ then largest rival - Tohatsu - in September of 1955, becoming the largest motorcycle manufacturer in Japan. Due to their superior reliability, in 1956 the Honda Motor Company commenced o ering a twelve month warranty for their range, something their

VINTAGE JAPANESE MOTORCYCLE CLUB

37

1956 HONDA SA250 DREAM

competitors simply could not offer, or afford to support.

The 1957 ME + MF Dream models with their increased power helped contribute to overcoming the obesity of the earlier models. But better performance was coming when Honda moved to the twin cylinder C70 series offered from late 1957 onwards.

SOURCING FROM JAPAN. I imported this early Honda Dream from Japan during 2015. I purchased it from a motorcycle reseller who specializes in collectable motorcycles and who is based in the north suburbs of Tokyo. I engaged the services of an Australian motorcycle importer who helped with everything from the payment for the purchase, the importation and shipping, and also the freighting from their premises in NSW to my home in Emerald, Victoria. I would thoroughly recommend any member who considers importing from Japan to follow what I did, as everything went smoothly and there were no problems at all. If any member is serious about importing, contact me and I will share my contacts and experience with you.

I knew that the motorcycle restoration itself would be a challenge which was exactly what I was looking for, and the best advice I can give any restorer contemplating restoring a 1950’s Japanese machine (especially a non-export model), is to source a machine that is as complete as possible. I questioned the seller (his written English was very good) about what was on o er and what may be missing. Otherwise I only had photographs to help me make my decision.

Not so surprising was the fact that no-one I knew had really heard of this Honda as it was a Japanese domestic market model only and not offcially exported. They are a rare commodity.

I have compiled an international register on the 1955 – 1957 Honda Dream models (SA250, SB350, ME250 and MF350). There are only three SA250 models outside of Japan.

38

VINTAGE JAPANESE MOTORCYCLE CLUB

RESTORATION. As I progressed with the restoration, it occurred to me that there was very little in the way of technical information available for this Honda; no restoration advice and no workshop manual, let alone finding any used spare parts, or any of those treasured new-old-stock parts. I employed my tried and proven methology of utilising the genuine Honda spare parts catalog as the template for the restoration. There is a language barrier between Japanese and English because the two languages could not be further apart, and almost all of the information I have found was only in Japanese. My Japanese language skills are very poor, so to translate information about this Honda was indeed another challenge.

Some items were missing and the pressed steel frame had some bad corrosion/battery acid damage. I had to both work with and restore what was on the Honda. I found a source for reproduction rubbers, and this company also reproduced the headlamp switch knob from a spare that I borrowed from a contact in Europe. I commenced the restoration with those impossible to replace items – handlebar switchgear, stop light switch, ignition switch and wiring. These would hold me up later in the restoration, so I restored them first.

The pressed steel frame required lots of work to eliminate the rust and damage from leaking battery acid. It is imperative that the frame’s integrity is maintained while welding in fabricated patch panels. I have an excellent painter who completed the entire repairs and helped me select the sparking Venetian Red paintwork we can all now admire.

The engine had been worked on by an unknown someone who made many mistakes. They had ground the rocker faces so poorly that these also damaged the camshaft lobes. I found an excellent local company who re-ground the camshaft and re-faced the rocker lobe faces. The cam chain

www.vjmc.org.au

1956 HONDA SA250 DREAM

tensioner bolts were all loose ! The piston rings had no clearance in the bore, and I am thankful I did not try to run the Honda before restoring it otherwise I might have seized it. Piston rings are easy to source once you have measured them accurately. The cylinder bore only required honing.

If you are not so conversant with dismantling and identifying any possible engine problems, engage the services of someone who can. A small price to pay for getting it done properly the first time. I traced and cut out my own gaskets, and with the skills of my engine builder, we have no oil leaks.

The engine cases are spilt vertically so oil leaks are a hazard (The SA250 Dream at The Honda Collection Hall actually does leak oil – I have the photographs from our fantastic and unforgettable VJMC Japan trip in 2015).

All of the aluminium engine castings and including the carburretor, fuel tap and the rear chain housing were hydrablasted. My hydrablaster used a three part process, and the semi gloss aluminium finish achieved is fantastic given the age of the aluminium. I persisted in keeping the natural aluminium finish which is not exactly as when it was new. Other early restorations including the SA250 Dream at The Honda Collection Hall have painted aluminium castings which hide all of those “ beauty spots “.

The chrome plated petrol tank was expensive to restore. It required panel work before the electroplater commenced his own repairs and final polishing before plating it. If you approach a restoration and try to cut corners to save a few bucks – I say forget about it. The analogy here is “ feed the hungry cat another goldfish “ ! The lesson I have learned from my own experience is that it is better to pay more than required to obtain the best end result, rather than scrimp on a few dollars and end up doing it all again properly. This lesson I learned the hard way when I restored a 1956 FJ Holden sedan. The restorer’s curse is that everyone admires the beautiful, shiney result, but you are only looking at the faults - eliminate the

www.vjmc.org.au

faults the first time around.

The Honda arrived with new wheel rims and spokes, but the Japanese owner had not restored the pressed metal brake hubs. The wheels had to be dismantled so we could repair any holes, zinc plate the hubs and re-assemble. The rear brake drum + sprocket assembly was manufactured from a poor quality cast iron. Remember this is when Japan was recycling metals including all of those old cars and motorcycles we shipped back in the 1950’s. The rear sprocket had a number of teeth missing, and to machine of the sprocket itself, and weld on new one was tempting all sorts of uncontrolled warpage. I engaged a local gear cutting machine shop to both measure and create a CNC programme for the brake hub. They machined a brand new hub from high quality 3D cast iron, flame hardening the sprocket teeth for enhanced life. I will never need to replace the rear sprocket again.

The entire motorcycle had to be rewired. The rear wiring loom had been toasted so I had to interpret the Japanese wiring diagram. Being such an old and simple design, the re-wiring job was not so hard.

The final assembly was a fantastic time for me.

I could not stay away from the shed as I simply had to keep assembling the Honda. I had all of the components restored and assembling it was like assembling a kitset. I could have had it completed in a weekend but I did not want to rush or scratch the paintwork.

RIDING THE SA250 DREAM FOR THE VERY FIRST TIME. For a motorcyclist who has mostly owned and ridden 1960’s to 1980’s Japanese motorcycles which were mostly all sporting a dual seat; sitting on the SA250 Dream for the very first time is a strange experience. The old fashioned single saddle is positioned low, sloping slightly rearward for rider “ comfort “, and is close in distance to the handlebars, confirming that this motorcycle

VINTAGE JAPANESE MOTORCYCLE CLUB

39

1956 HONDA SA250 DREAM

was indeed created for riders of a shorter stature.

The single saddle is hard and has no cushioning, only being supported by a hard rubber block mount similar to that of an engine mount. The body sitting position is verticle with the foot pegs positioned low down, wide and slightly forward.

The handlebars are low, and for a taller rider (6 foot /1.82 metres tall) your arms are always bent when riding. After riding open class motorcycles for many years, the SA250 Dream feels small.

My SA250 Dream will momentarily fire when first kick started with full choke, and it will commence running continuously when kick started again without the choke and with a little throttle applied. The engine response to throttle being applied is slow and lethargic, which is expected due to the very heavy flywheels on the crankshaft. The flywheels are so big, they belong on a 500 cc single. The carburettor and exhaust are of very old technology, and the engine does not feel powerful at all.

Select first gear (depress the gear lever down) and the SA250 Dream will pull away smoothly and e ortlessly. Accelerate and depress the gear lever down for second gear, and depress again for third gear. Third gear is quite suitable for 50 - 60 kph riding around town. The first three gear ratios are well matched. But for fourth gear which is very tall, the SA250 Dream needs to be travelling around 70 kph so that the engine does not fells like it is laboring. All of the time when

40

VINTAGE JAPANESE MOTORCYCLE CLUB

riding the motorcycle at the National Rally, I was ever conscious of any problems which can be experienced for the very first ride of a new restoration. Thankfully the Honda did not let me down, as it would have been embarrassing as there were also a lot of people photographing and watching it for their very first time.

During my first weekend riding my newly restored SA250 Dream, I engaged in a little hill work to the Oxley lookout of which the Honda climbed easily in both second and third gears, only the corners making me slow accordingly. The engine does not feel or sound like a high revving unit at all, despite the maximum horsepower being developed at 5,800 rpm. Along the flat open road at Tamworth I opened the SA250 Dream up to around 80 kph and surprisingly, the motorcycle accelerated quickly to get to this speed. I remember passing a number of fellow VJMC members – when was the last time you were passed by a Honda Dream ?!

Remember that this 12 Horsepower 250 cc weighs about 2 kg more than a four cylinder Honda CB350F. Riding the SA250 Dream defied all that I had known about Japanese motorcycles. This indeed is a motorcycle from the past and it must be ridden just as the motorcyclists of the past only knew how.

www.vjmc.org.au

BUSINESS DIRECTORY

IF YOU ARE A VJMC MEMBER AND YOU WOULD LIKE TO PROMOTE YOUR BUSINESS ON THIS PAGE, PLEASE EMAIL YOUR DETAILS TO ADRIAN DIXON AT ADIXON@CONTECHENGINEERING.COM Allen Sutton The Hydroblast Shop 3/ 41-43 Sinclair Rd Dandenong, Vic 3175 0400 516 979 www.thehydroblastshop.com.au Superior restoration of automotive, motorcycle and industrial components. We can make those engine casings, barrels, heads, carbies and intricate parts look like new again. Let our experience be a part of your next restoration project. Visit our website for more detail.

Alvin Wong Doux Wedding Corp Wedding photography and Videography. Special discount for VJMC Members. www.doux.com.au 0433 142 522 Alan Jansen Pals Automotive Services 11/42 New St. Ringwood 3134.

Motorcycle & car RWC inspections in Melbourne’s Eastern suburbs by ‘Vintage Friendly’ inspectors.

By appointment only. www.palsautos.com.au alan@palsautos.com.au 03 9879 6044 Frank Van Den Broek Garage Door & Gate Solutions 23 Cantebury Roar, Braeside Victoria 3195 9587 4000 www.garagedoorsolutions.com.au

www.vjmc.org.au

Steve Gittings Printforme 03 5334 2605 0417 336 360 printforme@ncable.net.au Design. Print. Finish. Offset and digital printing.

Ned Vernon Traditional trained metalsmith specialising in finely crafted motorcycle fabrication. Working in both aluminium and steel manufacture, specialist of tanks fairing and crafting one off custom designs. www.clavo-loco.com nedvernon@gmail.com 0403 805 301 Richard Scoular Classic Bikes Direct 41A Jarrah Drive, Braeside. Victoria 3195 0400 222 040 www.classicbikesdirect.com.au Let our world wide network be your advantage when buying a Classic to add to your collection, Nearly 40 years industry experience.

Tony and Catherine Fresh as Bread Cafe 76 Aberdeen Road, Macleod Victoria 3085 For VJMC members: your first coffee is complimentary, great quiet location off main roads, opposite park, with plenty of parking right in front of cafe. Good stop for group rides.

Alan Davis Abraham Lincoln Motel 343 Armidale Road. East Tamworth NSW 2340 Phone: 0267 661233 Email: info@abrahamlincoln.com.au Web: www.abrahamlincoln.com.au VJMC members can receive a 10% discount on their accommodation when they book direct with the motel, stating they are a current member of the VJMC. VINTAGE JAPANESE MOTORCYCLE CLUB

41

CLUB INFO

REGIONAL MEETS

Meetings are open to both VJMC members and the general public.

Meetings will qualify as a Club Plate ride in most states and territories.

Please direct further enquiries to your local meeting convener using an email address below. Please enter VJMC MEETING in the subject line.

Belconnen: 7:30 PM - 3rd Wednesday of each month.

Belconnen Soccer Club.

Belconnen Way, Hawker. ACT. David Quinn – 0412 695 738 Meeting.ACT@vjmc.org.au

Tamworth: 6.30 PM - last Thursday of each month.

Tamworth City Bowling Club.

ANZAC Park. Brisbane St, Tamworth. NSW. Paul Rowling – 0411 696 852 Meeting.Tamworth@vjmc.org. au

NEW SOUTH WHALES

QUEENSLAND

LowerHunter: 7:20 PM - 2nd Thursday of each month. Club Macquarie. 458 Lake Road, Argenton. NSW. Bill Keevers – 0438 646117 Meeting.LowerHunter@vjmc. org.au

S.E. Queensland:7:00 PM - 2nd Tuesday of each month.

Belmont Tavern. Cnr Burstall Ave & Belmont Rd, Belmont.

Qld. Scott Abbett – 0466 561 008 Meeting.Brisbane@vjmc.org.au

Illawarra: 7:00 PM - 1st Wednesday of each month.

Ocean Beach Hotel. 2 Addison St, Shellharbour. NSW. Barry Fitzgerald – 0487 746 020 Meeting.Illawarra@vjmc.org.au

SOUTH AUSTRALIA

ACT / SOUTHERN NSW

Mid Hunter: 7:00 PM - 1st Tuesday of each even-numbered month. Greta Workers Club.

Cnr New England Hwy & West St, Greta. NSW. Allan Kensitt – 0405 492700 Meeting.MidHunter@vjmc. org.au Sydney: 7:00 PM - 2nd Wednesday of each month.

Prospect Hotel. Great Western Highway, Prospect. NSW. Paul Johnson - 0481 142 175 Meeting.Sydney@vjmc.org.au Paul Lenehan – 0408 825126 Meeting.Sydney1@vjmc.org.au

42

Adelaide: 6:30 PM - last Thursday of each month except December. Tonsley Hotel. South Road, Clovelly Park. SA. Mick Godfrey Meeting.Adelaide@vjmc.org.au

VICTORIA Central Victoria: 10:00 AM - every Sunday morning.

Garlands Bakehouse & Cafe.

124 High Street, Kangaroo Flat.

Vic. Rodney Gilbert –0439 327 283 or Meeting.CentralVictoria@vjmc. org.au

Melbourne: 7:00 PM - last Tuesday of each month.

Grandview Hotel. Cnr Station Street & Heidelberg Rd, Fairfield. Vic. No contact Mornington Peninsula: 10:00 AM - 2nd Sunday of each month. Balnarring Beach General Store. 181 Balnarring Beach Rd, Balnarring Beach.

Vic. Dave Parker – 0416 154 056 Meeting.MorningtonPeninsula @vjmc.org.au West Gippsland: 10:00 AM - last Sunday each Month.

Prior to ride at 11:00 AM. East Bound Caltex Service & Station.

Princess Hwy, Longwarry North. Vic. Mick Gunn – 0439 537 901 Meeting.WestGippsland@vjmc. org.au Western Victoria: 9:30 AM - last Sunday each month. Prior to ride at 10:30 AM. Wilson’s Orchard Cafe. Lucas Shopping Centre. Alfredton. VIC. Vic Muller – 0439 537 901 or Meeting.WesternVictoria@ vjmc.org.au

Goulburn Murray: 10:00 AM - 1st Sunday of each month. Kyabram. 135 Allan St,Kyabram. Vic. Garry Lennie – 0459 233020 email T.B.A.

VINTAGE JAPANESE MOTORCYCLE CLUB

www.vjmc.org.au

VJMC INC AUSTR ALIA

CLUB PERMITS/REGISTRATION VJMC Members may apply for historic registration, however, please note the club objective: To foster the preservation, restoration, riding and enjoyment of ownership of Japanese motorcycles more than 15 years old. Historic registration is aimed at preserving historic vehicles, as a result modified or customised motorcycles may be ineligible for historic registration in your state. Please check the links to documentation for Club Permit/Registration in your state or territory to check your bike's eligibility.

The N.S.W. RMS is now trialling a 60 day log book scheme. The VJMC is registered as a participant in that trial.

A number of VJMC email address are also provided for further enquiries.

Please enter HISTORIC REGO in the subject line.

AUSTRALIAN CAPITAL TERRITORY:

SOUTH AUSTRALIA:

ACT Historic Registration ClubRegistration.ACT@vjmc.org.au

SA Historic Registration ClubRegistration.SA@vjmc.org.au

NEW SOUTH WALES:

TASMANIA: Tasmania SIV Scheme

Council of Motor Clubs Summary

ClubRegistration.Tas@vjmc.org.au

NSW RMS Information NSW RMS Log Book Trial VJMC NSW Club Reg Information

Sydney: ClubRegistration.Sydney@vjmc.org.au Other: ClubRegistration.NSW@vjmc.org.au

NORTHERN TERRITORY: NT Club Registration Scheme ClubRegistration.NT@vjmc.org.au

QUEENSLAND:

VICTORIA: General Information For New Applications For Renewals For Scrutineers ClubRegistration.Vic@vjmc.org.au

WESTERN AUSTRALIA: WA Licensing Concessions ClubRegistration.WA@vjmc.org.au

Qld SIV Scheme ClubRegistration.Qld@vjmc.org.au

www.vjmc.org.au

VINTAGE JAPANESE MOTORCYCLE CLUB

43

VJMC INC AUSTR ALIA

AREA REPRESENTATIVES VJMC Area Representatives are available to assist with

Please enter VJMC ENQUIRY in the email subject line.

any aspect of the VJMC they can but particularly club

More Info on becoming a regional rep: Contact Alan Stork

membership activities local to them. If they are unable to

on 0401 995 061 if you are interested in getting VJMC

assist you directly, they will do their best to direct your

happening in your area.

enquiry to the best available person or resource to resolve it.

ACT / SOUTHERN NSW Canberra David Quinn – 0412 695 738 Canberra@vjmc.org.au

Manning Stephen Wardle Manning@vjmc.org.au

NEW SOUTH WHALES

Mid Hunter Allan Kensitt – 0405 492 700 MidHunter@vjmc.org.au

Armidale Greg Inglis – 0408 669 986 Armidale@vjmc.org.au

North West NSW Garry Hennessy – 0418 496 538 NWNSW@vjmc.org.au

Broken Hill Samuel Muscat – 0412 208 898 BrokenHill@vjmc.org.au

Orange Peter Ezzy – 0427 663 246 Orange@vjmc.org.au

Central Coast Jeff Lockhart – 0419 286 311 CentralCoast@vjmc.org.au

Sydney David Bernardi – 0431 661 769 Sydney@vjmc.org.au

Far North Coast Rob Andrews FarNorthCoast@vjmc.org.au

Sydney Inner SydneyInner@vjmc.org.au

Illawarra Barry Fitzgerald – 0487 746 020 Illawarra@vjmc.org.au LowerHunter Bill Keevers – 0438 646 117 LowerHunter@vjmc.org.au

44

VINTAGE JAPANESE MOTORCYCLE CLUB

Sydney South & West Allan Dykstra – 0418 866 917 SydneySW@vjmc.org.au Tamworth: Paul Rowling – 0411 696 852 Tamworth@vjmc.org.au

www.vjmc.org.au

VJMC INC AUSTR ALIA

NORTHERN TERRITORY Darwin: vacant Darwin@vjmc.org.au

Geelong Alistair Elliot – 0400 109 124 Geelong@vjmc.org.au

Queensland

Kyabram Garry Lennie – 0428 542 479 Kyabram@vjmc.org.au

Gold Coast Graham Heise – 0401 046 531 GoldCoast@vjmc.org.au

Melbourne Phil Scorah – 0412 162 863 Melbourne@vjmc.org.au

Mackay Peter & Helen Douglas – 0408 186 439 Mackay@vjmc.org.au

Melbourne James Sepsakos – 0404 773 747 Melbourne1@vjmc.org.au

S.E. Queensland Scott Abbett – 0488 550 759 SEQueensland@vjmc.org.au

Mornington Peninsula David Parker – 0416 154 056 MorningtonPeninsula@vjmc.org.au

Sunshine Coast vacant SunshineCoast@vjmc.org.au

N.E. Victoria Ian Brightmore – 0419 888 020 NEVictoria@vjmc.org.au

SOUTH AUSTRALIA

N.W. Victoria Robert Traeger – 0418 145 393 NWVictoria@vjmc.org.au

Adelaide Mick Godfrey – 0401 196 922 Adelaide@vjmc.org.au

TASMANIA

West Gippsland Michael Gunn – 0439 537 901 WestGippsland@vjmc.org.au

Launceston John Murray – 0413 452 341 Tasmania@vjmc.org.au

Western Victoria Victor Muller – 0429 160 856 WesternVictoria@vjmc.org.au

VICTORIA

WESTERN AUSTRALIA

Central Victoria Rodney Gilbert – 0429 327 283 CentralVictoria@vjmc.org.au

Perth and W.A. David Williams – 0418 687 855 Perth@vjmc.org.au

East Gippsland Steve Millikan EastGippsland@vjmc.org.au www.vjmc.org.au

VINTAGE JAPANESE MOTORCYCLE CLUB

45

VJMC INC AUSTR ALIA

Annual subs VJMC Inc I f your fees are due, please complete and send this renewal slip with payment.

Direct Credit is now available. If paying by direct credit, please complete and send this renewal as confirmation.

OFFICIAL USE ONLY Received Renewal Date Received $

Member No Cash / Cheque / MO / Direct Debit Name Receipt No Due Date Reply Sent Cost: $40 single, $50 family.

Additional Info (address/contact change etc)

Email I give the VJMC Committe and Reps permission for my contact details to be provided to other members on request.

(Name, phone, email and locality only).

Signed Date Cheques / Money orders payable to VJMC Inc, or Direct Credit: VJMC Inc Australia BSB 062-801 ACC 10-240-688 (Commonwealth) Please include your member number as detail.

Send to: VJMC Inc PO Box 254 Modbury North SA 5092

46

VINTAGE JAPANESE MOTORCYCLE CLUB

From ANNUAL FEES Australian Residents Family (member + 1 other) New Zealand Overseas

1/6/17 1/7/17 NEW RENEW $45 $40 $55 $50 $50 $45 $55 $50 www.vjmc.org.au

PLEASE CONTRIBUTE Email contributions to: tom@pepperpublishing.com.au

NEXT ISSUE DEADLINE: OCTOBER 30TH