From old motorcycles to archaic, we remember Arthur Grady

“First taking off the loaded carrier, I carried it over to the opposite (river) bank… Next I unbolted the engine and carried that over. Finally the frame and wheels were brought along, and the whole machine reassembled on the other side.”

No, it isn’t actually Arthur Grady’s bike but it is a good replica. And no, that isn’t him sitting behind it. This pic was taken quite a few years ago, and we understand the bike was last seen headed for England.

THEY don’t make adventure bikes like the 1924 350cc twin-cylinder Douglas anymore.

And they don’t make adventure bike riders like Arthur Grady any more, either.

The 25-year-old World War 1 veteran and motorcycle racer left Fremantle, Western Australia, on 1 October 1924 and rolled back into the port side town on 25 March the following year, completing what history tells us was the first known circumnavigation of Australia by motorcycle.

The difficult river crossing described above was one of the many challenges he faced on the journey, the 100th anniversary of which was commemorated yesterday in Fremantle when a glorious selection of motorcycles, ranging in age from old to archaic, assembled in the shade of Fremantle’s St John’s Church.

The display was organised by the Vintage Motorcycle Club of WA which is celebrating it’s own significant birthday this year, clocking up 50 years.

We dropped in to admire the bikes and soak up some Freo vibe, and gave the Nikon a light workout.

(You can read about Arthur’s journey in detail at https://ozebook.com/wpaz2/arthur-grady/)