Kiwi built or modified bikes

**Kickaha** · 22nd August 2004, 20:27

Everyone wanks on about the Britten and its a very nice peice of kit,but NZers have been building and/or modifying their bikes forever and breaking records and winning races,the ones that spring directly to mind are

Bert Munro http://www.biker.co.nz/Reviews.asp?id=122 World record breaker on a Indian and a very clever man when it came to fabricating parts,converting bikes from sidevalve to ohv/ohc,making his own barrell,conrods etc.

Kim Newcombe http://www.ozebook.com/konig.htm
A GP winner and just about a GP champion on a bike he built using a marine engine,and sadly he was killed on it,it was up for sale not long ago and a book and documentary are meant to being made about him.

Bill Buckley http://bsl500.8m.com/ the man behind the BSL 500GP bike,unfortunately not particulary succesful but a very nice effort,the changes in the MNZ class rules have made the bike ineligble for competition in this country at a National level

John Britten http://www.nzedge.com/heroes/britten.html I remember seeing them testing the first bikes at Ruapna and thinking what a ugly unreliable peice of crap and why would they bother,guess it's just as well no one listened to me

The first two taking and modiying existing products the last two doing it even harder and doing it from the ground up,any one else have any others to add to the list?

**Motoracer** · 22nd August 2004, 20:49

Don't forget KK and his yellow thinga-ma-jiggy!

**gav** · 23rd August 2004, 12:46

Yeah, remember those early Britten shitters, how about this Ducati that Paul Pav used to race?

**gav** · 23rd August 2004, 13:13

and some more

**Motu** · 23rd August 2004, 14:40

Go to a classic meeting and you will see plenty of amaizing homebuilt specials,high quality radical engineering.Being a BSA single man I like the Goldstar with the TT600 4 valve top end and the sloper,the Matchless twin with the rumoured Yamaha bottom end,the hand built Indian board track racer,the half size Manx Norton - shit man,they are thick on the ground!

**What?** · 23rd August 2004, 19:03

Don't overlook the Desmodromic Manx Norton.
TV3 are to play the Kim Newcombe doco early next year.

**Coldkiwi** · 24th August 2004, 13:17

whats the story with that VEEARMA that races in F1? is that a NZ homebuild? I love the look of it

**FROSTY:Me** · 24th August 2004, 13:39

actually ya know its a bloody shame about the BSL. Reality is they did what
The Brittain team could only dream of.
They took on the best in the world -Full factory racers with million dollar race programs. I think to even get out on the track with those guys is amasing.
I ain't putting down the brittain team but shit Ol mr buckley sure did prove a point .
Ohh and for the record -The ALCHAMY -which is a kitset or completely built up bike -Although built in auzzie -Brook Henry is a KIWI

**gav** · 24th August 2004, 13:47

What really hurt the BSL was the change to unleaded fuel, they really lost some power and struggled to get the bike running properly, had looked pretty good before the switch in fuel.
Wonder where the BSL is now? Saw it at Ruapuna once, awesome looking bike, think Andrew Stroud took it out at the end of the day for about half dozen laps.

**FROSTY:Me** · 24th August 2004, 14:27

Which one do ya mean?
The bikes are safely stored at buckley systems -deep in the factory is the racebike storage.

**Kickaha** · 24th August 2004, 18:18

Originally Posted by XJ/FROSTY

actually ya know its a bloody shame about the BSL. Reality is they did what
The Brittain team could only dream of.
They took on the best in the world -Full factory racers with million dollar race programs. I think to even get out on the track with those guys is amasing.
I ain't putting down the brittain team but shit Ol mr buckley sure did prove a point

He didn't prove shit!

and as for taking on the best in the world when did that happen,how many events did they qualify for,contest and finish.

For a bike that was supposedly going to be a 500GP bike it couldn't even beat the top locals on GSXR1000s etc,so no way was it even a competitive effort.

The Britten team achieved far more on the world stage than the BSl ever did

**dangerous** · 24th August 2004, 19:08

Originally Posted by Kickaha

Everyone wanks on about the Britten and its a very nice peice of kit,but NZers have been building and/or modifying their bikes forever and breaking records and winning races,the ones that spring directly to mind are

Isent there a movie to be made about Bert Munro? some big actors are ment to be in it

Originally Posted by gav

and some more

#200 looks bloody sweet, and what the hell is #25?

**merv** · 24th August 2004, 19:18

Back in the 80's we all marvelled at Steve Roberts creations. Here's pics of Robert Holden on the "Plastic Fantastic". Dave Hiscock put it to good use and then Holden who gave us great pleasure back in the days when it was all televised live, especially wheelying onto the start finish straight at Wanganui. My pics are from demo laps Robert did on the bike at Lyall Bay.