and on we go............there were a lot of great bikes out there !!
Here is a ripper - W1 Kawasaki 650 twin owned by a mate from Sydney. Paul bought this basically in this condition, it was a Jap import. Not the original seat, that was stuffed. But he rode it to/from the Rally from Sydney....
A nice pair of old Zeds
Z1 in the foreground ( probably the best example of this model at the rally) and the Black Pearl in the background ( definitely the best example of this model at the Rally
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This one is a corker ! a *well-ridden* CB450 twin from the early 60's !! This was the model known as the 'Black Bomber', and spelt the beginning of the end of the British motorcycle industry (well, for a few years anyway
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Some little Kawasaki 2-stroke singles from the 60's. These were immaculate. Check the tank badge - that is the original Kawasaki badge used on models in the 60's......the design of the 2 'M's stands for Meguro/Meihatsu, and can still be found on spare parts packaging to this day...
The other little 90cc model
the other side of the orange GT750...........mmmmm silky-smooth goodness.........heh Supa ??
plenty more coming
and they keep rolling on ......
another old-school original Honda twin - not sure of the exact model for this example?
Here is a great cafe racer ! CB400/4 - nicely turned out, fitted with period Henry Abe mags (Japanese aftermarket specialist from back in those days...)
Another trick cafe-racer. This time a CB360-based twin........I think this is a local Canberra bike ??
trick Yamaha 350LC-based PCRA race bike. There was a small stand for cafe-racers and track bikes......may have to take the hybrid 7/11 to one of these rallies one day....
Immaculate CR250 MX bike.
RD400 'Daytona' special. One of these is tucked away in the 4th......
Another shot of the best Zed at the rally - Z1R. This bike was just incredible in the flesh. Not a single thing out of place......
TY80 trials bike. Very tidy
Another vintage MXér - this time its an MX80 ! We all wanted one of these in 1974 !!
and on we go with some more piccies.....
here is the other side of that immaculate CB72 Honda....
something you don't see every day - immaculate original CB350/4.
RG500 Gamma. This was Suzuki's answer to the RZ500 - and quite frankly, it is a much better bike. As much as I am a Yamaha fanboi - the RG was just better in every respect....
Here is a cool bike - GSX1100 Suzie. This baby was fitted with a genuine Tingate exhaust - the best *by far* for this model. A good mate of mine from Qld had exactly the same model / exhaust - sounded just fantastic.
Classic Suzuki - T500 Titan. 500cc of pure stinkwheels goodness !!
Z1. One of the best at the show. This is the slightly-rarer green/gold combo. The 'jaffa' (brown/orange) is the most well-known colour scheme for the first big Z. This green/gold combo sold well in the US.....
Another shot of Paul Darderi's W1 650. Google it sometime..........
T350 Suzuki twin. Quite a rare model - one of these won the Castrol 6 Hour, but was later disqualified over a minor technicality.....the rider was from Canberra. This example is owned by Graham Kairl, great bloke, has taught me a lot about bikes simply from being in the same pits as him at a few race meetings in the last 12 months.
Another side-shot of Grahams T350...
OK - here are the last bunch.
here is my mate Lou's Yamaha XS 1.1 - he has owned it for a while, he is a local from Queanbo. On the trip up to Warilla on Sat. morning, I was heading towards the Robertson pie-shop for morning smoko, rounded the corner - and spotted about 80 bikes !!! Lou saw me pull in, so I got to do 1/2 the 'big' ride with the rally crew, down Mac Pass......it was the slowest I have ever been down the Pass !! But still fun.....
This is a really tidy example of a reasonably rare bike - they only did the 1.1 model for 1 year.
Here are a couple more shots of that CB350/4. It was another immaculate, original example....
and last, but not least, is what I considered to be the best bike at the Rally - that Z1R from Victoria....
I'll finish off the photos with a couple from the breakfast run on Sunday morning. We did this amazing route through some back-roads off the Princes Hwy, up through the hills and into the back of Kiama.
Brekkie was at the Lighthouse up on the point - nice little cafe. Here are a couple of landmarks....
So there you have it. Some of the most immaculate Japanese vintage bikes you are ever likely to see gathered in one place at the same time. A great many of these bikes carry the 'Classic' tag, and deservedly so. Especially that black fuel-injected kwakka ! :laugh:
The Rally is likely to be at the same location next year (to be confirmed) - I would highly recommend that anyone with 1/2 an interest in vintage jap bikes should make the time to do this Rally. I stayed with Dennis this year in a cabin that could sleep 5 easily - we could get a house next year for not much more that would sleep a few more.
Anyone interested in joining the VJMC ACT Branch - just send me a pm, I will send you the details. The local branch could really use some fresh blood to get the numbers back up, and there is always the Historic rego attraction that will see your classic with full Historic rego for a fraction of the cost of normal everyday rego. Conditions of use apply of course - bikes need to be at least 30 years old to be eligible, but you can join the club even if you have a bike that is not *yet* eligible.
I really enjoyed myself at this years Rally - especially the dinner, where 6 tickets bought in a raffle for $5, netted me the following goodies:
1 x pair of chromed rear shocks for a Z900 - complete with shroud. Valued at $250 the pair.
1 x coffee table book 'The Illustrated History of Speedway Racing in Australia' - valued at $50
1 x gift voucher at Z Power. Valued at $50.
Pretty happy with that lot !!! Our table was full of first-timers at the Rally, and beginners luck was everywhere - 3 punters won trophies for 'Best In Class'. 2 other books and a heap of Maguiars 'Bike Detailing' kits were also won at our table. Photo evidence to come !!
) - anyway, here are some photos !! 
great journolism Gos 
