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British Bikes / Re: “Star” motorcycles
« Last post by cardan on March 08, 2026, 09:16:13 AM »
Thanks - that's very interesting: memoirs like this from people who were actually there are rare, and give us an insight into the non-public goings-on in the industry. The downside is they are often written down late in life when the memory is not quite tip-top. But here Reg Williams gives it a red-hot go and paints an interesting picture. There are a few puzzling bits: in particular the reference to Wolf doesn't fit in with anything I've seen about Williams, but perhaps it's just a mis-remembering of Sun. (In the 1930s it was Bennett and Wood who, in Sydney, brought in Wolf bikes/sets, which they sold as the B&W Wasp and Hornet.)

Page 3 ends half way through a sentence - have you got the next page?

Cheers

Leon
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British Bikes / Re: “Star” motorcycles
« Last post by Ozziebsa on March 08, 2026, 12:30:40 AM »
Quote from: cardan on August 16, 2021, 04:22:26 AM
Quote from: R on August 16, 2021, 02:10:55 AM
There's little evidence that Villiers engines were built into locally made frames though.
Photos of any such assembly are in very short supply - even from makers who were reputed to be doing this ???
Full imports seems to have become the norm in the 1930s and postwar ?

Yes I agree. Mind you, in the 1930s very few Australian firms claimed to be building their own Villiers lightweights. Perhaps only Acme (Bennett & Wood), and I suppose I believe them. The others - Star, Essex, Simplex, Utility, Waratah, B&W Wasp, B&W Hornet, Utility, Cottman Colt (RE), and probably more - were very likely just rebranded imports, although I have an open mind if more info comes to light. It's not very glamorous, but it is part of the story.

Leon

The accompanying notes appear to be an interview with Reg Williams by Peter Jones sourced from his National Library boxes of materials. Reg Williams mentions the Wasp in particular. I am not sure if Peter Jones ever published this anywhere.
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British Bikes / Re: Malvern Star
« Last post by R on March 06, 2026, 09:40:49 PM »
I reckon he was just fishing for offers, and aimed big.
Its been up for a while

A bit of quick assembly, "barn find as found" ?
If it was all there...


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British Bikes / Re: Waratah article
« Last post by R on March 06, 2026, 09:35:07 PM »
That makes 2 of us - spent my $15 and was rewarded with a single page that could have been improved by consulting here.
Ah well, makes for bumper profits on the 1st issue under new management. ??

We'll see if we can tap into that missing page.

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British Bikes / Re: Waratah article
« Last post by cardan on March 05, 2026, 01:17:03 AM »
Quote from: murdo on February 27, 2026, 09:08:46 PM
Their proof reader is still on holiday.

So I spent my $15 to read the very sparse article on Waratahs, which would have benefited from a bit of googling https://classicmotorcycleforum.com/index.php?topic=6172.0

Proof reading. Mmm... I might have enjoyed the article about Phil Irving's exploits, but (in my copy of the mag, at least) instead of the last page of the article I scored another copy of the second page. I grew up reading Motorcycle Sport, which famously spread bits of an article all over the issue, but in this case the end of the article was nowhere to be found. I doubt I'll spend another $15 next month to get the end of it!

Leon
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British Bikes / Re: Malvern Star
« Last post by cardan on March 05, 2026, 01:07:58 AM »
Wow, that's a big project for an auto cycle. I reckon you might buy a complete, running Malvern Star for maybe $2-3k, so a restoration like this would have to be a labour of love. Hope someone has fun.

Leon
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British Bikes / Malvern Star
« Last post by R on March 04, 2026, 09:19:44 AM »
Or is that alas poor Malvern Star !
Not a fast seller.

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/4157041997853024/

Doesn't seem to have many wheels ?
If that was a bit closer would go for a look.
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British Bikes / Re: Waratah article
« Last post by Rex on February 28, 2026, 01:09:44 PM »
Seems universal. Now these old bikes and the old boys who "knew" them recede ever further into history, the amount of published BS seems to grow year on year.
Even worse, BS when published, then becomes the truth when later Googled.
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British Bikes / Re: Waratah article
« Last post by murdo on February 27, 2026, 09:08:46 PM »
Be interesting to see how the new bloke goes. Their proof reader is still on holiday.
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British Bikes / Re: Waratah article
« Last post by R on February 27, 2026, 09:00:33 PM »
Ha !
Ain't that the trufff.

I have in the past emailed them with some corrections to one of their stories.
About something as recent as a Commando even.
The finer details of the history is still emerging, it seems.
To their credit, they did publish said corrections.

We see that that this latest edition is under new management.....
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