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News Jan 2026
Harley Sprint 350SS on the road, Jan 8
Loading up on
liabilities? Well you could see it that way. Our
lovely 1974 Harley-Davidson Sprint 350SS, by
Aermacchi, is now registered and on the road.
More to come this
weekend via our Sunday
Shed Wrap.
Rotary
royalty – Van Veen OCR1000, Jan 8
We've travelled back to
the mid-1970s and Dutchman Henk van Veen – the local
importer for Kreidler – has decided to tackle the
ultimate in fast-transit motorcycles. That was the Van
Veen OCR 1000 rotary.
Mecum in the USA has a
1978 example coming up for auction.
A large and stylish
beast for the day, it boasted a car-sized twin-chamber
rotary engine displacing 996cc and claiming a very
solid 100hp (75kW). That was matched to a four-speed
transmission with shaft final drive.
The creation carried
a spectacularly high retail price – think
GB£10,000 back then, or about the cost of a new
Jaguar XJ6. Then you had the issue of the wider
motorcycle market suspicion regarding Wankel
rotaries and their reliability. Plus we're talking
of a previously unheard-of maker.
As a result, just 38
examples are thought to have been produced.
See the Mecum auction lot here
Plus the Motorcycle
Specs data sheet
Speaking of rotaries, see our quick
profile of Suzuki's RE5
Kawasaki robo-horse, Jan 8
Kawasaki Heavy
Industries is some way down the track of developing
what it sees as the ultimate all-terrain vehicle, a
robotic horse.
Dubbed the Corleo (lion
heart), it is at the concept development stage, with
the company saying it plans a hybrid model employing a
hydrogen-fuelled 150cc engine to provide long-range
power for the electric motors that do the work.
In theory, we'll see a
prototype in 2030 and customer versions available in
2035.
Given the
rapidly-accelerating pace of robot development, maybe
that timeline will be shortened.
See KHI's
Corleo website, which includes a video.
As much as we like
horses and Kawasakis, we're not yet convinced
about the combination. A ZX-12R is more our style
– see our
profile on them.
Saigon scooter doctor, Jan 8
Meet chú Hai Bạc, aka
the Saigon Vespa and Lambretta doctor. Now aged in his
70s, he has been fixing the Italian beasties most of
his life and has developed a loyal following.
See our
story on bike street, in Ha Noi
Honda VTR1000 SP series – the great
challenger, Jan 7
The bike which broke
Ducati's dominance of the world superbike contest
through the 1990s was Honda's exceptional VTR1000SP
series, with Colin Edwards, aka the Texas Tornado,
doing the honours.
See our
updated profile on the SP-1 and SP-2 road bikes
And our
pick of the current offerings at Bikesales
Ducati's
under-appreciated 999, Jan 7
From Ian Falloon: The loss of the 2002
World Superbike Championship proved that even a
brilliant design like Tamburini’s 916 ‘family’,
that went through to the 998, couldn’t stay on
top forever. Though a hard act to follow,
Terblanche’s replacement 999 took a different
route, emphasizing simplicity and ergonomics.
Released for 2003 and retaining many of Ducati’s
trademark features, the 999 was purposefully
long, low, and narrow, to reduce frontal area...
See the full story at his Substack page
Race-bred stroker twin, Jan 6
Fast, furious and
just 125cc – these fabulous Yamaha two-stroke
twins were a teenage petrolhead girl or boy dream
back in 1972…
It might at first seem
like a bit of a stretch to draw a racing connection
from Yamaha's AS3 of 1972 – a two-stroke twin with a
modest 125cc – and racing, but there is a strong
connection. Many used road bikes were converted for
the track because they were such a good starting point
for someone on a budget.
In road form, they
developed around 16hp, weighed about 108kg (240lb) and
were good for about 120km/h (75mph). Under the engine
covers, there was a solid connection to the next-gen
RD version, and the TA125 racer sold to privateer
teams.
The AS3 was sold circa
1971-73.
If anyone out there
(Melbourne would be good, but we're willing to
travel) has a really nice example and is willing
to play, we'd love to do a story on the bike.
Contact me via guyallenaustralia@gmail.com.
More on early Yamaha
two-stroke twins: see our
YD1 and YDS-1 mini profile.
And see the wealth
of Yamaha
stories on our features index.
Ducati web pioneer, Jan 3
Could this be a bargain?
Describing a used modern motorcycle being offered for
Au$38,500 (US$25,800, GB£19,100, €22,000) that way
seems counter-intuitive, but it may be the case here.
Brad's Vintage Cycle
Sales in Queensland is offering this 2001 Ducati MH900
Evoluzione, with 21,600km (13,500 miles) on the
odometer. It is listed as build number 168 out of
2000.
Aside from the
dramatic styling from Pierre Terblanche, its main
claim to fame was to be the first motorcycle to be
sold entirely on the internet. And it happened
very quickly.
Many have not been ridden and simply traded as collectibles over the years.
This example has modest use and is priced very competitively.
You can see the Bikesales listing here;
Plus all of MH900e stock on Bikesales, here.
See the Ian Falloon piece on the
development of the machine.
Flashback: Faith, Jan 2
We've lost the front end! No, we've lost the back end! Trust the bike – it's probably better than you...see our retro column.
Andy's mountain epic on video, Jan 2
A little while back we mentioned that Andy Strapz had threatened to
run a tour of the back roads of the Nepal to Kathmandu
trail.
It is based on a journey he recently enjoyed with old mate Tomaselli – an amazing experience and we're now starting to see video rolling out.
You can see the first episurd (which we recommend) here.
Meanwhile Andy is now in the throes of organising similar tours for the rest of us to enjoy. More here – note the dates have changed a little.
BSA to return to Australia, Jan 1
Happy new year, folks.
Historic British marque BSA is returning to Australia
as a brand, with Leisk Moto Imports (based in Western
Australia) securing the national agency.
As the name suggests,
the company is run by Jeff Leisk, who rose to stardom
in the 1980s through the Australian Mr Motocross
series and then competed overseas. He moved into the
industry upon retiring from racing.
BSA went broke in 1972
and, in 2016, the giant Mahindra
Group out of India bought the rights. It has
since been developing machines in Birmingham for
production in India.
The first launch in
late 2021 was the 652cc four-stroke liquid-cooled
single using the iconic Gold Star name. Since then
a few variants have been produced.
There is also a 350.
We expect a vertical twin range that
plays to another section of the brand's image will be part
of the mix in the not-too-distant future.
1956 Gold Star
DBD34 review at Hagerty
Is that a real
legend? Jan 1
Here’s a little cautionary tale when it comes to chasing high-value motorcycles at auction.
A 1974 Ducati 750 SS is a pinnacle 'get' for Ducati
collectors. Based on the bikes which won the Imola 200 in
1972, just 401 were built.
A recent auction listing has highlighted a need to check
how deep the proverbial water is before you jump in. See the story,
here.
***
December 2025 Highlight
The fabulous Vincent, Dec 29
It's finally legal! Our 1952 Vincent Rapide Touring is on the road, after using its owner as a crash-pad. But everything is okay – the bike is fine! See the story, here.
***
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