Each year around the first weekend in May, the Quail Lodge & Golf Club hosts the Quail Motorcycle Gathering, featuring unique vintage, antique, and custom motorcycles. In the same spirit as their Quail Motorsports gathering, a car show that takes place during Monterey Car Week, the Motorcycle Gathering feels like a higher-end setting, with mostly pristine examples of classic motorcycles displayed on the golf greens. The show hosted more than 3,000 attendees throughout the day, who enjoyed over 350 bikes on display as well as a catered lunch featuring some of the local area’s best-tasting fare.
Aside from their traditional classes, the Quail had four featured classes: the 50th Anniversary of the Honda CB750, Off-Road Wonders Through the ’90s, the 100th Anniversary of the Brough Superior, and the Spirit of the Scrambler Presented by Ducati. In addition to classic and custom bikes, a handful of current motorcycles were available to view and try out, including Ducati Scrambler test rides, a variety of Harley-Davidson test rides, as well as an augmented reality display with the new LiveWire. Here we feature a few of our favorite bikes and people from the show.
At just $4799 plus on-road costs, it’s a bargain way to enter the market or add a second bike to your garage.
Hartford motorcycles and scooters are made in Taiwan and imported by Joe Fisher of Hartford Australia, based in Ballina.
Joe also imports the Hartford 125cc Sienna ($3399) and 300cc Vita ($6199) scooters. The Sienna comes with a one-year warranty and the Vita with a 24-month warranty.
Hartford Vita and Sienna scooters (All images by Jeff Gough)
He recently invited me to ride the bike and scooters over Mt Tamborine in south-east Queensland.
Classic 250
First impression of the Classic 250 is that it looks great.
Styling is very retro and quality of parts and build is as good as bargain Japanese bikes.
If you are into customising bikes, there wouldn’t be much to do as the front and rear fenders are chopped already and the rest of the bike’s styling is spot-on.
Perhaps the only modifications I’d make is swapping to Ace bars and bar-end mirrors for a cafe racer look or MX bars and upswept pipe for a scrambler/tracker feel.
Surprisingly the Classic 250 has an easy-to-read digital single instrument dial and all LED lighting. That means headlight, indicators, brake and taillight are all bright LEDs.
The bike also comes with front and rear discs with ABS as required on all 125cc+ motorcycles from November this year.
It is powered by an air-cooled 223cc four-stroke engine with just 13kW of power at a dizzy 9000 revs.
You have to rev it and use the gears to get the most out of the single-cylinder engine, but it will run ahead of most of the city traffic up to a claimed top speed of 111km/h.
However, the transmission is geared way too low and you quickly flick through to the fifth and final gear by 60km/h where it buzzes quite a lot.
Joe says he plans to add a tooth to the front to decrease the ratios and provide a better spread of gears.
That would decrease the buzz and mean fewer gear changes in traffic which would be handy as the cable clutch is quite heavy. However, the transmission feels as slick as most Japanese models with no false neutrals and neutral easy to find.
At just 132kg wringing wet, it’s as light as a feather and a joy to flick around the city streets.
I wasn’t particular happy with the standard Taiwanese Duro HF308 tyres on the 18-inch wheels.
They look like classic Firestone tyres with that zig-zag tread and angular edge. That makes them flop a bit in corners which takes a bit of getting used to. They also are plasticky and grip isn’t great.
Suspension is rudimentary with soft forks that dive under braking and a hard spring with an under-damped shock, yet it all works just fine thanks to the low bike weight.
I didn’t encounter any dramas over the bumps and lumps of Mt T carrying my 80kg frame around, but a heavier rider might struggle.
Over our short ride, we didn’t get a chance to drain a tank, but the claimed economy of 2.5L/100km would provide more than 450km of range from the generous 12-litre tank.
Joe is offering a 24-month and 24,000km warranty. He hopes to have dealers in Ballina, the Gold Coast and Brisbane.
Hartford scooters
Hartford Vita scooter
The scooters also looked like Japanese quality scooters and behaved in a similar manner.
Their prices and features make them a great bargain.
They would make a great second machine as an alternative for commuting, small grocery shopping or a quick ride to your favourite cafe.
Eight Triumph Bonnevilles professionally restored by a Canberra enthusiast are coming up for auction at Shannons Late Autumn sale in Sydney on May 20.
The Bonnevilles are among 18 classic motorcycles in the 55 lot vehicle and memorabilia auction.
Two standout Triumphs on offer are a 1959 first year Pre-Unit Bonneville T120 650cc (pictured above) and a 1970 Bonneville T120R with just 1004 miles on its odometer since its ground-up restoration ($20,000-$24,000).
1970 Triumph T120R
Both motorcycles are in their correct colours.
The 1959 ‘Bonnie’ is understood to be just the 102nd T120 model built early that year.
It has covered just 605 miles since its restoration. Shannon’s says the guiding range for bids is likely to be $45,000-$48,000.
The 1970 T120R is important to collectors as the last Bonneville model built with its oil tank under the seat before Triumph adopted an oil-in-frame system.
Triumph Bonnevilles
Other Triumph Bonnevilles being auctioned in similar fully-restored condition include examples from 1963, 1964, 1969 and 1970, with guiding ranges spanning $18,000-$25,000.
Another earlier Triumph motorcycle in the auction is an older-restored circa-1926 Model P 500cc solo offered as part of a deceased estate.
It is expected to sell in the $8000-$10,000 range.
An alternative for veteran bike enthusiasts is a rare circa-1910 single-cylinder Speedwell early Australian motorcycle.
1910 single-cylinder Speedwell
It would be ideal for a collector or museum and is expected to bring $18,000-$22,000.
Both are being offered with no reserve.
Other interesting motorcycles in the auction include two restored Suzuki RM80 motocross motorcycles from 1978 and 1981.
Suzuki RM80
Both are offered with no reserve and each is expected to sell for $2,000-$3,000.
Also expected to create strong interest among Ducati enthusiasts is a one-owner 2002 Limited Edition 748R from the model’s final year of production.
2002 Limited Edition Ducati 748R
It is believed to be one of only 10 delivered to Australia in red. The bike is expected to sell with no reserve for $14,000-$18,000.
Other motorcycles offered with no reserve include:
A very original ex-military BSA WM21 equipped with pannier bags and other period accessories that would make a great club bike ($8,000-$10,000); and
BSA WM21
A circa-1936 ACME Autocycle that hasn’t been ridden for many years, but is in complete and original condition ($1500-$2000).
To view all Shannons May 20 Sydney Late Autumn Auction lots, visit www.shannons.com.au
