Doing the Ton Down Under:

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Canonball Bakers and crew.

Whenever one writes anything about Australia, it should begin with a song, probably the country’s most famous. I first heard it as a kid watching a movie made in 1959 called “On the Beach.” Gregory Peck played a submarine commander heading for Australia hoping to find some survivors from a nuclear war. Not much luck there, but you did get to hear “Waltzing Matilda.”

Kind of a melancholy melody that you couldn’t get out of your head, some of the words went like this:

Oh! there once was a swagman camped in a billabong,
Under the shade of a coolibah tree;
And he sang as he looked at his old billy boiling,
Who’ll come a-waltzing Matilda with me?”

I was a little kid watching a flick where radiation obliterated humankind during a time when the Russkies supposedly had their finger on the button, the words made about as much sense to me as “nuclear deterrent.”

In any case, at that point in my life, I guess I sorta fell in love with Australia. I read a bunch of books on it and did a fourth grade project, rambling on about Kookaburras and Kangaroos and how eucalyptus leaves were the favourite munchies for the cute little koala bears. I also mentioned the Out Back was filled with notorcytes. (At that time I thought they must have two wheels.) I summed up with a final statement about moving there, riding a big motorcycle and starting a ball-bearing plant.

My teacher pasted a gold star by my name on the wall chart, patted me on the head and presented me with the pamphlet, “How to Duck and Cover in Case of Atomic Attack.”

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Over the years I never lost interest in Australia and corrected some of my misconceptions, one being about the place being infested with notorcytes. Not motorcycles, as I learned, not too wheels, but some four legs and fur. They turned out to be a variety of moles. As for a further translation, “Swagman” is a travelling vagabond. A” billabong” is small body of trapped water cut off from a river. “Billy” is cup for boiling water for a spot of tea. And “waltzin’ Matilda” refers to the vagabond’s bundle of belongings he carried with him and apparently danced with since women were scarce. And “Doing the Ton” as seen in the title refers to hitting 100 mph. Don’t say you don’t learn stuff on Bikernet.com. And yes, all this does somehow lead to a story…

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One of brave lads, Edward Kluge, leaping billabongs and swerving around coolibah trees on motorcycles in a country older than dirt.

Literally. Some of the oldest rock outcroppings on the planet pop out of the ground in Australia, and we’re talking billions of years old. While it’s an island, one doesn’t tend to feel cramped or subject to “cabin fever” thanks to Australia’s nearly 3,000,000 square miles (that’s twice as big as India).You’d think there’d be plenty of room for motorcycle racing. Apparently not so at the turn of the 20th Century. In the late 1890s, way before Crocodile Dundee appeared on the scene, the first spindly motor-cycles were already duking it out, not on purpose built race tracks, but speeding down less than perfect public roads, such as they were, connecting towns and cities. It produced hazardous work for both racers and spectators, not to mention the city fathers, who while enjoying any municipal proceeds attached to such events, still looked upon “cycle racing” as an asocial activity rather than sport. Endurance racing

Another type of racing, non-wheel to wheel, received wider acceptance, that being endurance racing with an eye on record breaking feats of time and distance. Sponsorship was forthcoming since the winners brought glory, and increased revenues, to the motorcycle manufacturers and associated industries. The goal was straightforward, stay glued to the saddle until either rider or machine gave out. OBrian on a tricycle

The first records were established in December 1898 when A.E.O’Brien covered the 15 miles from Sydney to Parramatta Post Office (yes, a town) in 35 minutes. Not exactly a blistering pace or epic time in the saddle by today’s standards but considering the condition of the roadway and his mount, a De Dion Motor Tricycle, it made quite a splash at the time.

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Billy Elliot.

Another early record was set some 18 months later when W.J.C ‘Billy’ Elliot, also on a 2 ½ HP De Dion, made the first motorcycle run from Melbourne to Sydney. Consider the factors involved. After a breakdown, a ride back by train, followed by repairs, Billy was back on his bike and putted the 600 miles to Sydney in 17 hours and 20 minutes at an average of 17 mph. Keep in mind that since there was no car traffic at the time, there was no provision for fuel and oil along the road he travelled so Billy opted for the right-of-way which ran alongside the railway tracks where he could arrange for spares, fuel and oil.

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Tommy Benstead

Such endurance runs focused the spotlight on tire, fuel and oil companies who benefited from the publicity, and thereby made them possible. It was Dunlop tire that initiated the very first officially recorded long distance motorcycle record attempt in Australia, the date being November 1902, with, surprise, a Dunlop employee Harold James making the attempt on a 350cc machine of unrecorded brand. Harold rode a triangular route between Melbourne, Hamilton and Warrnambool then back to Melbourne. After 24 hours he had clocked the goal of 500 miles at an average of 20 mph, despite losing over four hours mending six punctures (caused mainly by nails from horse shoes), fixing the leather drive belt four times and topping up with fuel and oil. His machine had consumed an average of 54 miles per gallon. Despite numerous attempts and improvements in both roads and machinery, James’ record stood for ten years. WWI interrupted Australian endurance racing, but once the hostilities ended (and after grievous loss of Australian soldiers in the service of the British), record breaking fever took hold in a big way. The hero of the day hailed from Melbourne and his name was Harold ‘Ranji’ Parsons. He would go on to set the Melbourne-Sydney record and another for a world 24 hour record by covering 1114 miles on an Indian Scout, a truly remarkable achievement considering roads and machines of the day. Sadly he was killed on May 15, 1921 when the new Indian he was testing smashed into a horse that ambled out of a side street. Described as “a splendid type of clean sportsman, of exemplary habits, a total abstainer and a non-smoker,” his local community dedicated a memorial that still stands in a small local park.

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The grand-daddy of all the early record attempts was the transcontinental Sydney to Perth run, a distance of 2050 miles, the route basically a cart track in many places and totally uncharted from Adelaide to Perth. In 1924, Gil Ford and Charlie Watson left Sydney for their home city of Perth aboard an Indian outfit and arrived seven days, nine hours and twenty eight minutes later – taking 57 hours off the previous record. By attaching three spotlights to their rig, they rode round the clock, and like several of their wheels, broke the previous record to pieces.

The Sydney-Melbourne run was still considered the most prestigious and the competition fierce, and got fiercer when the Dunlop Rubber Company offered a fine gold watch to the first person to break 24 hours. The watch finally went to James Bolger on a German NSU V-twin with a time of 23 hours 41 minutes.

As roads and communications improved, and population increased, the authorities’ attitude to inter-city record breaking hardened and the practice waned. Police in both states were firmly against these high-speed thrashes over public roads. The final ‘official’ Sydney –Melbourne attempt was by Don Bain in April 1932, when he rode his 500cc AJS racer to what would stand as the all-time mark of 11 hours and 27 minutes.

With speed now outlawed as the primary factor, manufacturers focused their attention on the endurance runs. For example, to publicise their new 600cc side-valve model, Triumph hitched a Dusting sidecar to it and enlisted ace long distance rider Syd Goodsell, with Arthur Millard in the chair as official observer, for a 13 day run through New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia in June 1937. The engine was kept running for the entire trip – a total of 9260 miles – a world record. In fact the only reason it stopped was when the electrode fell out of the spark plug.

Heroes of the Hard Road

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Harold ‘Ranji’ Parsons

Considered a “superstar” of the Victorian era, Parsons, prior to his passing at 26 had been a highly successful professional rider for over seven years combining long-distance record- breaking, speed record attempts and racing on a national basis. His name had become synonymous with the Indian brand, the bike he rode to so many victories.

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Tommy Benstead: Harley Champ

In 1918 at 18 years of age Benstead, riding a Turner-JAP, won his first race and within three years had become a star on the speedway, grass tracks and road racing. Signed up by the local Harley Davidson distributors, he campaigned the new “Peashooter” dirt track model. Benstead first took a shot at the Melbourne-Sydney run in 1922, breaking the record despite having only one cylinder of his Harley working for the last third of the distance.

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Les Warton: Vincent Victories

While a speedway racer prior to WWII, Les Warton later obtained the first Vincent Black Lightning sold to a private buyer in Australia and won many road racing titles with the bike in sidecar configuration. In October 1949 he took the Vincent to a lonely stretch of the main highway between Melbourne and Adelaide at Kingston and established six new records, both solo and sidecar, including the outright Australian motorcycle speed record of 139.8 mph.

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Col Crothers: Battling the Birds

Parramatta motorcycle dealer Col Crothers, on a Sunday December 19, 1954, set new Australian records for one, half and quarter mile on a stretch of road at Narrabri in northern NSW. He overcame several problems, including having his best run scrapped when a flock of birds prematurely triggered the timing apparatus. By the end of the attempts, the white fairing of the Vincent splattered with blood and feathers as it ploughed through flocks of Australian galahs and parrots, Crothers had averaged 146.4 mph for the flying mile, with a fastest run of 152.54 mph one-way.

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Jack Forrest

The Tipperary Challenge: Australia’s Fastest Men

Efforts to select an official site for the Australian Land Speed record attempts took form in 1956 when British Petroleum (BP) decided to underwrite the event. After a year’s search, a dead- straight four-mile stretch of country road was selected. It ran beside a railway line between Coonabarabran and Baradine in north-western New South Wales. As the centre section ran past the gates to Tipperary Station, the event became known as the ‘Tipperary Flying Mile’. At first mostly a car venue, motorcycles eventually joined the activities including Jack Forrest riding his ex-works 500cc BMW Rennsport, Trevor Pound on the famous 125cc BSA Eric Walsh-Bantam as well as the successful 350cc BSA/Norton hybrid owned by Melbourne tuning wizard Jimmy Guilfoyle while Jack Ahearn entered his 350 Manx Norton and a 250cc NSU Sportmax. Sidecars were represented by Frank Sinclair’s 1000cc Vincent and Bernie Mack’s 500 Norton.

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Record breakers at Kingston.

The first official runs were set for the weekend of 28th and 29th September, 1957. Strong winds depositing gravel on a track, both high crowned and only about 17 feet wide, compounded matters. There was also no run-off area at the end of the track plus large flocks of birds took up residence. And then there were the bushfires that erupted.

The riders also had their problems before it even started. BSA Bantam tuner Eric Walsh had been severely injured in 1956 while bending over the engine when the external flywheel disintegrated taking the full blast in the face and head. Although never fully recovering, he wanted to taken on the new track’s challenge and so modified an old aircraft belly tank adding a tail fin and the Bantam engine for rider Trevor Pound. However, low speed stability was a problem and when the day was done; Pound managed only a single one-way run at just over 120 when the magneto gave up the ghost.

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Harris and Weatherby.

Despite problems of nature and machine, the event went forward and records were set, many standing for years. Ahearn had a relatively trouble-free run on his 350cc Norton to easily break the record in that class at 125.68 mph. Meanwhile Jack Ahearn’s diminutive 250cc NSU was just a tad slower, setting a new mark of 121.252 mph. Both sidecars established new records. Frank Sinclair’s Vincent averaged 124.524 mph while Mack’s 500 Norton posted 112.219 mph.

Forrest on his BMW blasted through the speed traps at 152 miles per hour, more than 20 mph better than the old mark even though the bike was wobbling almost uncontrollably thanks to a bubble in the rear tire. Still the average for the two runs, at 149.068 mph was a new outright and 500cc record, holding until 1973.

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So there you have it. Now pack your bags and head for Perth but watch out for the bandicoots and bimbils. But don’t worry about the notorcytes. Unless they have red flashing lights.

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