Revolution -100 years of bikes Otago Museum 2014

[MD]

I searched and can't see anything on this awesome motorcycle display??? I've been in wet and cold Dunedin settling the daughter into her Uni flat and wandered disinterestedly into the Otago Museum, on the Uni campus. Only to find a massive bike display that left me teary eyed when I found a pristine example of my second dirt bike - the mighty and world conquering SL125. I had a SL100 first but it needed more POWER. OK, their blurb said the media in 1974 rubbished it and gave it the UNDESERVED nickname of turtle chaser. Bastards. The SL125 was the love of my life when I discovered motorbikes and trail riding.

Apparently this was the best attended attraction at the Otago Museum. I chatted with a large bunch on Harleys that were touring NZ from Singapore. Also talked with a local who had six bikes in the show, including my 'best looking bike ever' [until the MV F3 came out] the white Bonnie.

So I hope you enjoy these snaps. Sorry just from my cell ph and the lens got wet from my tears viewing the SL. Seriously though, to see THAT bike again after all these years did stop me in my tracks. It instantly brought back fond teenage memories and reminded me of those good friends that are no longer alive.

So lets post these pictures in no real order. Apart from the best bike in show the SL, my other favourites were the white 1966 Bonnie, the dark red Bonnie, the Waterbottle, Honda six and the of course the stunner Z1

[MD]

OK next set.

[MD]

Still more and spot the best in show! I even had a XL175 but that was just too powerful, so I lost it crossing the Waimak river one Sunday. Seriously, it got washed away in a crossing. Made a funny story for the Press on Monday and lots of jibes for me at High School. "washed ya bike Mark?"

[James Deuce]

Revolution? The least revolutionary mode of transport of the last 100 years HAS to be the motorcycle. It's still a push bike with the engine between your knees and any attempt to change that has been met with derision, violence, rules amendments in racing and worst of all, terrible sales figures. That's why I like them. They're just like what me Grandad rode.

[MD]

Jim your reply perfectly captures our love of bikes. Best said by Mr Spock - That's illogical

[nadroj]

MD - the 'waterbottle' looks like a RE5 rotary to me.

[Howie]

Ah the memories, I sat my licence on an SL125 as my own bike at the time was a road legalised Suzuki TM250 with a 6 volt battery under the seat to run the tail light, No indicators and slightly noisy.

[merv]

Mark your motorcycle beginning sounds so much like mine falling in love with trail riding and dirt bikes in general but I've kept going with the dirt bikes and haven't bought a million road bikes since over that time like you have. We always ride our trail bikes on the road anyway.

I moved onto a road bike buying the VFR in February 1994 and here I am 20 years later still with that same bike. You're right Jim they haven't changed a lot so it hasn't encouraged me to change.

I never owned a SL125 but my bro' bought one of the first type that came to New Zealand and few would remember the gold and black model with the low pipe because most of them were the later silver and red with high pipe models (See attached photo). For a fleeting moment our whole family owned Suzuki 2 strokes and that little gold Honda changed it all for us because once my bro' bought that we realised how good Hondas were and changed to 4 strokes. It went so well at the time and was one of the first trail bikes with the 21" front wheel. I'd been using the first model TS185 and it had a 19" front wheel. My bro' went on to win the HB Motorcycle Club 125 scrambles championship the year he bought that bike as it was so much quicker than the SL100 and the 21" wheel made a lot of the difference. This is before CR125s came along of course and we didn't know the name moto-x.

I jumped from the TS185 to the first model XL175 (orange and black) and again just loved that bike until I got a XR200RD almost 10 years later which was a quantum jump in performance especially with the prolink rear end. What we loved about the Honda 4 strokes is how you could just rev them to go faster whereas the two strokes went totally flat at the top end in stock form.

Ah the joys of motorcycling - the movie On Any Sunday only reinforced our views at the time. What I reckon we all miss now is open access to the land we used to ride on.

What a great exhibition too, shame I haven't been to Dunedin for a while.

[MD]

MD - the 'waterbottle' looks like a RE5 rotary to me.

Yep. I just didn't get a pic. of the Water bottle. The Wankel rotary RE5 was just plain weird whereas the Water bottle was a good bike in it's day.

Hi Merv. I thought I took a pic. of the mint Honda Elsinore 2 stroke they had but it's not showing in my ph downloads? Their blurb said how the SL125 was rubbished when launched but still put Honda on the world dirt scene and proved it's 4 stroke reliability had a place in the dirt. Honda's real victory was with the Elsinore I was never a 2 stroke fan back then, or now! The SL was what I learned the basics of bike mechanics on, being able to remove a tyre and change a tube in the middle of nowhere. Setting the timing on the SL and playing with the carb settings was all part of experience. I went through 3 of them over the years. Tough little buggers.

[JimO]

i dont remember it being cold and wet in dunedin, the we ducati #6 pic first post belongs to a mate of mine he also has a injun and a triumph tiger

[MD]

Found the Elsinore picture but not very clear sorry.

[tigertim20]

Its a great exhibit. Ive been back three or four times and still spend just as long each time. a fantastic selection there for one's perusal.

[merv]

The Elsinore pic looks okay just a lot of shine on that polished bike.

[Motu]

I'd take the Hurricane and the XR750....but the Bonnies are nice too, and the A10, some alloy head single carb thing, I never got a handle on what BSA called their twins. The SL100 and 125 were fun to ride because you could really push them beyond their limit, and not be too far over your head. Got one in the shed I think, and an SL70, and a TL125...and...

I had a lot of fun learning to ride on those early Japanese trail bikes....and then I got a Rickman Metisse. The step up in handling was astounding - suddenly I could do stuff I'd only dreamed I could. And like Merv, the step up to the Prolink XR200 was mega - 5th gear off road was impossible on a twinshock if you wanted to live.

[nudemetalz]

I can see a trip to Dunedin coming for me in the near future...