Antique Motorcycles

I met John Gee before I realised he ran the Melbourne-based business, Antique Motorcycles. It was at a lunch where we were all comparing notes about the comings and goings in our little lives, as you do. John mentioned that he was just back from a few days down at Lorne on Victoria’s lovely Great Ocean Road.

“Taking a break then, John?”

“No. Working. I was doing the interior fit-out, the décor stuff, in a new café. It’s an Indian theme.”

“Oh. Taj Mahal and all that.”

“No. Indian. Indian motorcycles. I’ve got a few Indians and I’ve got quite a few Indian parts and memorabilia. So that’s how I fitted out the café.”

My next encounter with John was a ‘missed-him-by-that-much’ situation. I was at Moorabbin Airport in Victoria with intrepid aviator, Guy Allen. We had just parked our bikes and were walking towards our aircraft for the day when I heard the distinctive rising pitch of a gas-turbine jet engine firing up, and there was that kerosene whiff of burning jet fuel in the air. Not surprising at an airport, except we were on the road, not the runway.

Looking over my shoulder, and through a gap between the buildings, I spotted the fast-moving blur of a yellow bike. It disappeared and we went flying, with a new fact to digest -- a Y2K jet bike had arrived in Australia.

It took a bit of door knocking and a few enquiries over the following weeks, but finally I tracked the Y2K to Antique Motorcycles and… John Gee.

So John is the kind of bloke for whom a few Indians isn’t enough. You need to throw in a Y2K to strengthen the brew and while you’re at it, a few semi-loads of great bikes of all types to get a sense of his approach to motorcycle ownership.

John advertises regularly in Motorcycle Trader so those readers will have some idea of the range of bikes at Antique Motorcycles. What the ads don’t do, though, is convey the sheer extent of the stock. Nor do they give a taste of the atmosphere in the place. As well as knowing how to fit out an Indian-themed café, John certainly knows how to fit out a big ‘shed’ full of his bikes.

There are bikes for all tastes: old bikes and new bikes; bikes on the floor; bikes in the corners; bikes hanging from the rafters; road bikes and race bikes; turbocharged bikes; solos and outfits; a bike with a car engine; a bike with a helicopter engine; a drag-racing snowmobile. And there are bits of bikes. Then there’s the memorabilia: the petrol bowser; the bits of old bikes; the old vitreous enamel signs; the oil company signs; the old bike shop signs.

In a situation where there’s too much for you to take in, where your eyes are sweeping over a whole wall of very rare and valuable items, it’s interesting that something different, something not as exotic, can attract your attention.

For me it was an original Chiko roll poster that was almost hidden among more valuable items. Do you remember the original one, the first in the series, the best in my opinion? It’s the one with the big-eyed brunette, so pretty in pink, perched precariously on a big, black Vincent Twin, all alone with her Chiko roll.

And it grew…

It’s many a year now since it was a hobby. This is a serious collection of bikes that doubles as the stock in trade for a retail bike business.

As he explains the business it’s about being able to offer the Australian buyer exotic and classic bikes from the broadest range of brands, types and countries of origin. He’s that rare creature who is drawn to motorcycles in general without particular preferences. So all your favourite Japanese classics are represented, in big numbers, and there’s no shortage of Harleys and Indians. British and European brands are represented as well.

He often travels to the US on buying trips but he’s been active as a buyer at home too. You can still spot the big feller at swap meets. In that connection he’s happy to remind us of the days when scooters had been tried here, on and off, over a couple of decades and faded from sight into the corners of sheds and garages. He bought them up whenever they surfaced at swap meets, for a few hundred apiece, held onto them until the market was interested in scooters again, and made a nice few bob unloading them.

Photographer Ellen and I wandered through the rows of gleaming machines with John as he pointed out some bikes of particular interest.

We sidestepped a Honda Rune - itself not a thing you do every day - to look at the Ford V8-60 flathead-powered bike. John explained it was built by Dan Olsen in Illinois. It’s not as outrageous as some V8-powered bikes, using only a “little” 2.3lt V8. John likes the attention to detail in making a bike that’s built today look as though it was built in the 1930s (the era when its Ford engine was built). The brake pedal rubber and tail-light are repro ’30s Ford items.

Like all John’s bikes it fires first time and it speaks melodiously through its open pipes.

My compliment about the first-time start prompted John to take us over to a 1929 Triumph that sits on a shelf. It’s a 550cc side-valve single that’s in “as found” condition. As found means dusted down but little else. It’s complete looking but there’s a decent layer of rust and miscellaneous oxidation and discolouration on its various components. Apparently it’s a reliable “first-kick” starter too. John reckons he’s won a few bets with that bike.

From there my eyes were drawn to a side-valve Harley racer that dangles on chains from the rafters -- a beautiful, minimalist bike. It’s a 1951, 45-cubic-inch, WR race-bike. John reckons they only built 26 WRs that year. He’s very proud of that machine.

With all the exotica on display I was wondering what I’d choose to take for a ride if it was my collection. I wasn’t making much headway with that decision so I asked John which bike he takes for a spin more often than the others. He pointed to a 1951 Indian Chief.

“It’s an original 1951 Indian Chief, a New York police bike – it still has its siren. That’s the original paint on it,” explained John.

“I bought it from the New York policeman who used to ride it. He had been given the bike when he retired. It had done 19,000 miles. Yes, that’s got to be my favourite.”

It was time to go. As we walked out, we ducked under an RG500 Suzuki, another rafter hanger, stepped around a CBX1000 Honda six, and sneaked by a Kawasaki Z900. We had barely scratched the surface. We’ll be back for more. When you’re in Melbourne you should give John a ring on (03) 9583 992 and arrange to have a look, too.

John quoted a few interesting numbers off the top of his head…

- Max power: More than 260kW (350hp)
- Max torque: Around 578Nm (425lb-ft)
- Top speed: 250mph (400km/h)
- Black stripe ability: It’s still laying a big black stripe while accelerating above 150mph (240km/h)