2018 Albany hill climb - giving the old bikes a fang in a south coast paradise • The Bike Shed Times

SOME of Western Australia’s finest classic and vintage bikes were given a chance to stretch their legs at one of Australia’s most picturesque locations yesterday, at the 2018 Albany Vintage & Classic Hill Climb.

With a shift in location from the last event two years ago, riders were treated to the surroundings of Middleton Beach and Ellen Cove as they tempted the mechanical gods by putting their machines to the test of a jolly good fang up Mount Adelaide.

Many of the bikes had been put on public display on Saturday morning (see our photo coverage here), with yesterday’s event proving they were still capable of progress at speed. Well, most of them anyway. Albany’s fickle weather smiled, with sunshine across most of the weekend.

CAPTION: Paul Fry’s 1977 Z1000 was smooth and fast. Aviator goggles were cool.

ADVERTISEMENT: Aviator goggles at Amazon Australia.

CAPTION: As if a tight right-hander on the edge of a cliff after the left-hander wasn’t enough to worry about, there were possums too.

CAPTION: You think old choppers can’t go fast? Paul Radford’s ’68 Triumph proved they can.

CAPTION: Three wheels, two Guzzi engines and two people. And British Racing Green paint. Works for us. Toad and Rosie dusted off the Triking.

CAPTION: Bill Payne admires Dan Talbot’s Triton and leather pants. Bill’s Manx Norton looked fast, even in the pits.

CAPTION: The event program says bike #65 is Ralph Blundell on a ’75 850 Commando. We know better. This is Noah on his Norton, in search of possums.

CAPTION: Bruce and Elsie Edward and their 1938 M20 BSA.

CAPTION: If you were standing near the start line and turned around to face east, this was the view. Pretty nice.

CAPTION: Rod Chessell’s 91-year-old JAP/BSA covered itself in glory. If we’re still climbing hills at 91, we’ll be astounded.

CAPTION: Graeme Woolcock’s ’53 Matchless 500 wins our coolest-bike-in-the-pits award. What a beauty.

CAPTION: Here’s the view from the top of Mount Adelaide. Not bad eh?

CAPTION: Bob Whittingstall and his 1925 Norton 16H 500.

CAPTION: Dan Talbot’s Triton looked and sounded superb. Read more about it here.

CAPTION: Jim Russell, his Ariel Square Four sidecar and woolly passenger Marlon were stars of the show. Lovely rig.

CAPTION: Strategy discussion. Whadda ya reckon? I reckon just fang it. Yeah, me too. I’ll just fang it.

More photos

We took a bunch more pics. See them here.

All pics are available as 10×8 inch prints at $18 each, including free postage within Australia. Email a screen shot to advertising@bikeshedtimes.com (or just describe it …) and we’ll invoice you.