Ripper rubber

In the article on the Matchless G15CSR (OBA 60), you speak in less than glowing terms of the Dunlop K70 tyre. I have a 1971 A65 Lightning which I bought new. It was originally fitted with English made K70s, and they were fantastic road holders. As a young man in my early 20s, I rode that bike fast and furiously. The speeds that I did, and the angles of lean that I achieved on the Old Pacific Highway between Calga and the Hawkesbury River, well, I probably shouldn’t be here today. The BSA was a great handling bike, but those K70s were great too. They stuck to the road like the proverbial to a blanket. Back then, in about 1972, I was riding up the Putty Road, in the area of Colo Heights. I broke down with a pushrod off its rocker, so to speak. A few months ago, I was out riding up the Putty Rd with my son Cameron (1982 900SS Ducati), in the same general area near Colo Heights, when the BSA broke down again. The Boyer ignition module failed (I think). The point is, that the same bike has broken down twice on the same general area of the Putty Rd, only about 44 years apart. Spooky, eh? In the same OBA, you mention Adelaide man Hugh Dunlop. I had the pleasure to briefly make his acquaintance back in the late 1970s. I was looking for some parts to complete the restoration of my 1951 350cc Panther. My sister had been living in Adelaide at the time, and put me on to him. We drove down there for a holiday in our 1963 40hp Beetle. Hugh was a delightful man, and was able to supply the parts I needed. I remember that you had to have a bit of mountain goat in you to climb over the engines etc strewn about the floor of his shop. Adelaide has always seemed to be a hot bed of Panther activity. If you know the ABC show Australian Story, in November 2014 they did a two week episode on Bob Hawke. As I am sure you know, as a young man, Hawke rode a 1947 350cc Panther in Perth, which he crashed and very nearly lost his life. In the show, I played an 18-year-old Bob Hawke, with the very same 1951 350cc Panther I got parts for from Hugh. The bike and I were on for 35 seconds! We even staged the ‘crash’. We filmed in Parramatta Park.

David Lewis Via email