REPORT - 2019 Bulli Antique Motorcycle Weekend
Words & Photos: Dave ‘Baldy’ Hellyer
The third annual Antique Motorcycle Club of America – Australia meet was held at the Bulli showground over the weekend of 24 and 25 August, 2019.
A bumper crowd of over 5,000 people attended the 2019 ‘Bulli Antique Motorcycle Weekend’, with the display of classic (35yo & older) motorcycles being just one of the many elements to enjoy.
For the third annual event, there were 300 bikes on display, including one that is a significant piece of Australian motorcycling history.
Black Magnetism
The 1951 Vincent ‘Black Lightning’ was undoubtedly the biggest attraction at Bulli 2019. Thanks to its Australian speed record and star performance at auction, this is the bike that pretty much every motorcyclist in the country is now familiar with, but everyone who attended the Antique Motorcycle Weekend still wanted to see it, photograph it and hear about it.
Formerly owned and campaigned by Australian hardcore racer Jack Ehret, the Black Lightning, chassis #7305, was presented at Bulli in its original race trim, including rear-set foot controls, alloy rims and many hard-to-get magnesium components. The bike still wears its competition battle scars, too - real patina!
When it was introduced in 1949, the Vincent Black Lightning was the fastest production motorcycle on the planet. Its 998cc v-twin featured different internals to the Black Shadow engine it was based on, while racing-spec rims and tyres, as well numerous lightweight components, shaved around 30kg off the running weight. Combined, these elements allowed the Black Lightning to make 70hp (52kW) and reach 150mph (241km/h).
The story behind chassis #7305 and Jack Ehret’s connection to it starts with the NSW native purchasing it from the second owner in 1952. Raced with success as both a solo and outfit, Jack decided that his weapon could be a record-setter, too.
On January 19, 1953, following a year of preparations and red tape dealing with local authorities, Jack set a new Australian Land Speed Record for motorcycles of 141.5mph (227.6km/h) on his Black Lightning. Over two runs on a quarter-mile stretch of road at Gunnedah in north-eastern NSW, Jack beat the previous record, held by rival Les Warton (also on a Vincent), by close to 20mph. It explains why Jack was described as a speed freak adrenaline junkie!
Jack continued to race the bike for years afterwards, followed by his son, John, who would get his famous father to partner him for sidecar competition. Still racing into the 1990s, the bike remained in Australia until 2014.
In 2018, Black Lightning chassis #7305 was purchased at auction by a Tasmanian businessman for AU$1.16 million - a world record price for a motorcycle sold at auction.
With only 31 Black Lightnings built, and only 19 matching-numbers examples still in existence, you would imagine this bike will hold its value and be seen as a bloody sound investment!
With his father’s bike the centrepiece of the 2019 Antique Motorcycle Weekend, it was only fitting that John Ehret was in attendance, too. In keynote presentations on the Saturday and Sunday, John reminisced about the mighty Black Lightning and his father’s near-50-year ownership and love of racing the motorcycle.
On Sunday, just after lunch, John rolled the bike outside, fired it into life and then proceeded to ride it around the Bulli showground track for a couple of laps that had the crowd applauding for more. It sounded like it could well exceed the speed limit!
Having the Black Lightning on display and in action brought out many more Vincents, too, and while the Ehret bike was a highlight, the overall display of Vincent bikes was special. What great motorcycles they built.
More Ehret Memories
Also in attendance was Marge Gaffy, who worked for Jack Ehret for many years and rode motorcycles around Sydney until she was 83 years old!
Using a Panther outfit with a platform on it, Marge would pick up bikes for Jack and was also involved in sidecar racing for many years.
A well-known character around the good old Sydney town motorcycle scene for many a long year, Marge entertained all of us with her ‘old school’ tall tales of life working with Jack, as well as her sense of humour and her love of all things motorcycles. It was terrific to have Marge attend and participate in this celebration of such an impressive motorcycle.
Impressing the Prez
While the previous two Bulli Antique Motorcycle Weekends have had AMCA members from the US as special guests, the 2019 weekend saw the American National President of the AMCA, Keith Kizer, attend for the first time.
Kizer had wanted to check out our event and was absolutely blown away with it, saying it was the best organised and most entertaining AMCA event he has been to globally, adding that the American chapter “could learn a thing or two from you guys”.
That’s certainly a tremendous acknowledgement of the hard work performed by the founder of the Australian arm of the AMCA, Tony Blain (who was smiling all weekend), as well as all the AMCA Australia office bearers and the army of volunteers.
While the AMCA is the key to the event, the ongoing support from Destination Wollongong and the mayor of Wollongong also makes it a success, as well as great support from the public.
Kizer’s comments also endorse the work done by the local AMCA crew well before the first event was held – namely in selecting Bulli as the venue.
Perfect Location and Pre-’20 Popularity
Well known for being a great motorcycle riding destination, Bulli is about 70 kilometres south of central Sydney and sits in the narrow coastal strip between the Illawarra Escarpment and the Pacific Ocean.
“When we started this, we had a vision and we went right around the state looking for a venue,” AMCA Director Antony Gullick explained. “The reason we chose Bulli is it not only has all the facilities we need, it’s also what we need to grow. For now and forever, this is where we want to be.”
Part of that fit-for-purpose and ready-for-growth element means there’s room for not just 300+ display bikes, but also trade stalls, merchandise sales, historic motorcycle club displays and a motorcycle-only swap meet for 35yo and older parts, with food, drinks and bar facilities on site, too.
“We keep getting a lot more people from interstate,” Gullick continued. “We had people from as far away as Perth and Mackay this year. It is growing in size and prestige.”
As attested by John Ehret’s demo laps on the Vincent Black Lightning, the Bulli Antique Motorcycle Weekend isn’t just a static display event, either. Also in action this year was a gaggle of pre-1920 motorcycles, which were started up and set in motion to show just how complex operating a motorcycle was a century ago.
“The demonstration rides, where we run pre-1920 motorcycles and show how they work, was very popular,” Gullick added.
Professional photographer Adrian Veale was also in attendance, taking portrait shots of various riders’ pride and joy. His finished product is a work of art.
Speedway Treats
For the third year in a row, the Australian Speedway Riders Association (ASRA) presented an eye-catching display of speedway machinery and memorabilia at Bulli, with ASRA reps telling me this event is the most popular amongst their NSW members.
Covering the evolution of speedway machines from the 1920s to the ’80s, the 17 solo bikes on display included a 1928 Rudge, 2-valve 500cc JAPs, ESOs, a Godden and 4-valve 500cc Jawas.
As well as the preservation of speedway history and associated memorabilia for future generations, the Association’s aim is to promote goodwill and camaraderie within a social environment.
Australia is the birthplace of speedway, with Maitland, NSW, holding the first recognised events in the 1920s. Australia played a major role in exporting motorcycle speedway racing to the world, too, particularly Great Britain and Europe, where it’s more popular now than it is here.
For those unfamiliar with modern speedway bikes, they use a single-cylinder 500cc engine, running on methanol and capable of reaching 60mph from standstill in just 3 seconds. There are two makes of speedway engine these days: GM from Italy; and Jawa from the Czech Republic.
Built to a set of rules that include a minimum weight of 77kg, speedway bikes have no brakes and just one fixed gear, with riders using different engine and rear wheel sprocket combinations to adjust the gearing as required for track conditions.
I read a great comment that described speedway bikes as some of the most focussed, purposeful machines in motorsport, with their stripped-down setup leaving little room for error. . . or compromise!
As competitors slide their bikes sideways, power sliding and broadsiding into the bends, speedway is tremendous racing and makes for tremendous viewing, too. Check it out sometime and take the family – they’ll love it.
ASRA President, Ralph Warne, conducted one of the many technical seminars held over the weekend and no doubt surprised many in the crowd when he informed them that, in some ways, there is nothing “new” regarding speedway. Explaining his point, Warne noted that the 1928 Rudge runs a 4-valve engine and - 50 years later - the 1980s Godden is also powered by a 4-valve engine.
The photo memorabilia from the ‘Golden Era of speedway in Australia presented by the ASRA, specifcally Sydney Showground and the Liverpool Speedway events, brought back many fond memories to visitors.
It was a surprise to learn that so many of the people visiting the AMCA show from interstate have an active interest in speedway racing.
Watch, Listen, Learn
Following the template of the past two years, there were 10 ‘Technical Seminars’ presented across the 2019 weekend.
With punters keen to listen and learn about a range of informative topics, these seminars are often shoulder-to-shoulder and ten deep, so the AMCA introduced audio visual coverage of the 2019 talks. This meant that, even if you couldn’t get a prime spot for the seminar, you could still see and hear it via TV screens at various locations in the venue. This was a great addition to the coverage.
When a seminar wasn’t on, the screens ran vintage motorcycle footage.
The seminars for the 2019 weekend were, in order, AMCA virtual judging, metal repairs and fabrication, 3D modelling, the Ehret Vincent, preparing a vintage motorcycle for storage and returning to service, motorcycle photography, the 5000cc Rolls Royce Merlin twin-cylinder motorcycle, preparing a vintage motorcycle for touring, carburation and fuel for old bikes, and the Australian Speedway Riders Association.
Harleys run Hot
Another Bulli attraction in 2019 was the motorcycle auction held on Saturday afternoon and presented by Manshed Auctions.
As in past years, a small, but select group of classic motorcycles were up for grabs, with Harley-Davidson making up the bulk of the 16 lots on offer.
Whether the presence of the million-dollar Ehret Vincent made sellers ambitious with their reserves, or there was just less cash around this time, the auction only achieved a 60 per cent clearance rate. But with over $250,000 changing hands, that was still respectable.
The top seller was a 1949 Harley-Davidson Hydra Glide, which exceeded its $55K high estimate to sell for $59,000. Next best was another Harley, a Circa 1939 Knucklehead Bobber, that sold within estimate for $57,000. A civilianised ’42 WLA went for $23,000, while another ’42 WLA, still in US Army green, made $22,500.
Breaking the Harley hegemony was a 1977 Yamaha TZ 750D racer that sold for $56,000, while a 1940 Indian Chief went for $30,000.
Amongst the lots passed in was a 1972 BSA Rocket 3, a 1966 Norton Atlas 750 and a 1959 Triumph Trophy.
Prepare to be Judged
Motorcycle judging at the Bulli Antique Motorcycle Weekend is based on the AMCA’s successful formula used throughout the US - and now internationally - for bikes 35 years and older.
It’s worth noting that, despite the AMCA’s “American” origins, bikes from the rest of the world are welcome. So, whether you’ve got a motorcycle from Japan, Europe, Great Britain or anywhere else, it’s welcome as long as it’s 35 years old or older.
For those not familiar with the AMCA judging system, each bike is judged on its own merits and against the standard of “how it left the factory when built”. Each bike starts with 100 points, with deductions made for each non-authentic element.
There were 32 machines entered for the 2019 show and it’s a reflection of the seriousness with which the AMCA take this part of the event that no less than 18 judges made up the assessment team. Selected by peers for their specialist knowledge, the judges were kept busy throughout Sunday morning, poring over each bike in detail before making their final votes and announcing the results that afternoon.
Outside of the specific AMCA judging, there was also a People’s Choice trophy and awards for ‘Period Modified’, ‘Most Unique’ and ‘Oldest Bike’, going to a 1939 Harley Model W, 1931 New Hudson and 1911 Zenith, respectively.
Finally, a new ‘Tony Blain Perpetual Trophy’, created in honour of the man who has done more than any other in establishing the AMCA Australia chapter, went to the ex-Jack Ehret ’51 Vincent Black Lightning.
Turning Japanese in 2020
The theme for the 2020 Bulli Antique Motorcycle Weekend is a celebration of all classic and historic Japanese motorcycles 35 years and older.
For results from the 2019 Bulli Antique Motorcycle Weekend and more details on the 2020 event, go to: https://www.amcaaustralia.org/ and mark down August 29 & 30 in your calendar.
This show just gets bigger and better, and 2020 is sure to be no exception.
