Australian Wing Riders Association (Qld) Inc
Bevan and Therese Bradford.
Both of us were born and raised as country kids on the edge of the Darling Downs east of Warwick. While I wasn’t into motorcycles as a kid, I was certainly into riding push-bikes, and having told that story, the less said here the better.
Moving into Warwick at the age of 15, I was introduced to the joys of motorcycling. Much faster and more fun than push-bikes, tractors and farm cars. Commencing work with the Department of Main Roads in 1970, was a way to earn enough to satisfy this new passion. Having spent a couple of years riding 125 Hondas and 500 Suzukis while dreaming of 650 Triumphs and 450 Hondas, turning 17 meant that power was a basic requirement and so, a Honda CB750 K1 was the order of the day. Over the next two or three of years, (and drivers licences), this bike did about 40,000 miles covering most of Qld, NSW, Vic and SA. All this with nothing more than a leaking head gasket, they all did, a valve grind, multiple chains and tyres and a couple of custom paint jobs. I’ve been a Honda fan ever since.
The bike gave way to a V8 Holden Panel Van for a while and was at one point accompanied by a Kawasaki 350 Big Horn. For those who have never tried one of these, this was a big single two stroke trail bike with the torque to move the black stump much closer than it is currently purported to be. Greatest wheelie machine in the world. Ended up removing a large piece of my leg and landing me in hospital for a period of time.
Then came my first Goldwing. A first model blue GL1000. One of the first on the road in Qld. Very quick and a lot of fun. Photos exist showing it in hill climbs, dirt tracking and blowing the wheels of a Z900. Unfortunately, my co-habitation with this bike lasted only three weeks with it written of due to a design fault that saw the bike with limited ground clearance. It was just co-incidence that it occurred on my 21st birthday.
While waiting for the insurance to come up with a new red GL1000, a MT250 Elsinore came on the scene. It was a great play toy, but road riding has always been my favourite past-time. The new ‘Wing saw in dramatic change in my life. At the same time I started going with Therese who also worked in the same office. The ‘Wing was her introduction to motorcycling. The pillion in a million. That first ride in mid-December, saw cold, rain etc., and a close shave when rain slicked white lines caused me a bit of a problem. Inexperience on Therese’s part meant she didn’t know that the slide wasn’t normal and she never moved. Good thing, as any sudden move could have seen a much worse result.
While things developed with Therese, the GL gave way to a CB750F1, as the lack of ground clearance, and performance that never matched the blue one, became too much of a problem. The F1 was eventually fitted with a Chariot sidecar and given a power boost. There were not many southeast Queensland roads that that outfit didn’t travel. A job promotion for me saw me move to Cloncurry just prior to our wedding. Therese moved there to a position with the Department of Lands.
With the heat of western Qld and the poor condition of the roads, the chair became only an occasional accessory. The lack of road bikes in the area eventually saw the F1 go, to be replaced by an air-conditioned car and an XL250 chook chaser. Up there, trail riding on gravel and dirt roads was the go. Needless to saw, the XL has chased many a ‘roo in its day.
After 4 years in Cloncurry, we moved to Maryborough for a further 4 years where our first two boys, Matthew and Gregory, were born. As most of us know, young children, family responsibilities and motorcycles don’t mix, so the XL became a means of getting to and from work. A couple of rides to Brisbane, also for work, were the only real road rides. Station wagons, kids, prams, and a pair of Irish Setters in a trailer became the standard fare. This also continued through the 10 months we lived in Bundaberg, where our third boy, Peter, was born a couple of days after we were advised of a promotional transfer to Barcaldine. We had just moved into a new house a few months earlier.
For some reason, registered motorcycles at that time were virtually non-existent in Barcaldine so again, the XL performed just short rides to work or to the golf course with the clubs mounted on a carrier on the back. When a job promotion meant a car was provided, the XL finally bit the dust and could not justify the cost of registration, so, no plates and into the shed. Who knows, maybe it would come in useful some day if I ever moved to Brisbane.
Life in Barcaldine involved raising children and travelling all over the area for sporting events and the long drives back to visit family. This meant a succession of cars each requiring more room as the family grew in size and number with the arrival of our fourth boy, Daniel. Never did work out how to get girls. Have plenty of theories though but I won’t espouse those here. As Daniel grew, Therese started work as a secretary at the school where the boys were going, this fitted in with the family needs of raising the children. My work meant that at times, I was away more than I was at home.
About five years ago, a mid-life crisis hit and there was a burning need to get back on a bike. Sound familiar? This also coincided with a few others in the area suffering the same debilitating disease, and they cured it by buying bikes. At last, someone to ride with! Needless to say there was much discussion as to the type of bike needed. Most of the discussion centred around what I wanted, a ‘Wing, versus what Therese reckoned we could afford. These options ranged from putting the XL back on the road, to a couple of small road bikes that were seen here and there on travels. A trip to Brisbane for family reasons included a trip Morgan and Wacker to look at a BMW K1100, and also to John Spick to have a look at a ‘Wing and test ride an ST1100. The ST1100 seemed a sensible balance of size, performance, comfort and cost. The mistake I made was to also test ride the ‘Wing. Lack of common sense eventually prevailed, and we bought the ‘Wing. Told you she was the pillion in a million. Apart from the Wagga Wagga AGM, trips with our boys to boarding school in Yeppoon and an unfortunate trip to Brisbane, most riding consisted of travelling one direction from Barcaldine then turning around and coming back. No short loops of bitumen out there.
Four years ago we finally got sick of having the boys in boarding school and all the travel to visit them and the relatives, so we moved to Brisbane. With a need to get to work and the time taken by public transport and walking more than I wanted to spend, a decision was made to ride to work. This meant the 20 year old XL chook chaser with only 20,000 klms on the clock was back on the road, as the kilometres were rapping up too fast on the ‘Wing. With a few modifications like disc front brake, street tyres, rubber footpegs and a box for the brief case, it served the purpose well chalking up a further 25,000klms.
Age started to catch up with the XL so something needed to be done. After looking a number of bikes and trying to get them to fix my requirements, torquey, low revving, reliable, good handling, narrow and cheap to maintain shaft drive, not a lot fitted the bill. A MUZ Scorpion or Suzuki SV650 went close but Goldwings and shaft drives makes one fussy. Then I found a Honda NTV 650. Perfect. 3 months and 4,000 klms of city traffic later I am more than happy with the decision. . A workmate bought the XL, that was hard to part with after 22 years.
Therese is now working in the school library and I have completed 31 years with Main Roads. Life in Brisbane is much better than the west, as the number of roads and ride options is far greater. The ‘Wing does serious duty as the boys cricket taxi, with a kit bag and chair for Dad slung off the rack, and is a familiar sight at many schools and cricket grounds throughout Brisbane. If only time would allow more opportunities to get out on the open road. Of the four boys, only the youngest, Daniel shows any real interest in riding to places other than cricket.
Ride on.
