Old speedway bike.

[Dutch]

Nice old BSA powered Speedway machine

[Freakshow]

looks like if he has a wheel problem , he just takes one off the trailer.......

[Curly3]

Cidgee or Gidgee Stephens from NSW, wonder if anyone remembers him or where he's from?
I thought it was the same trailer as Burt's on the Worlds Fastest Indian.

[shelpi]

 ;Dare you shore its bike on a trailer ???it looks like a sidecar

[firko]

Cidgee or Gidgee Stephens from NSW

I reckon old Gidgee would have been a bush racer going by his equipment. I suspect the photo would have been taken around 1961-64 assuming that the sliding window Mini 850 was fairly new. Big city racers of that era were just about all JAP mounted, you'd never see iron barrel BSA's in home made frames at the Sydney Showground, Ekka or any of the other big city venues. Bikes like Gidgees were the standard fodder for the bush beginner. If it wasn't for the fact that this bike's obviously built for speedway I reckon it fairly well represents what was being used for short circuit dirt track at that time. I'd love to think the bike still exists under a rotting old canvas tarp in some shed out in Woop-Woop, just waiting to be rediscovered

The trailer also reeks of low dollar country boy racer....there's probably an early 50's Vanguard or a Hillman attached to the dodgy looking A bar on the trailer.

[JAP 454]

Gidgee Stephens was from Broken Hill and was a well known motorcycle racing identity from there, he was the first Broken Hill lad to race at the Royale, the photo is probably  taken somewhere on the western plains.

The Beezer is geared too high, going by the back sprocket, to be a pure speedway iron, so it must have a gearbox, there appears to be one fitted but it's obscured a bit by the " trailer " mudguard and wheel, it also has a tacho fitted and what appear to be Harley or Castle forks so its sidecar heritage may be there, plus it's carrying race numbers.

The frame appears to be a rigid BSA or Triumph , the seat certainly is, and the tank straddles the frame not slung beneath the top tube.
I think you are pretty right about the time frame , Firko, was thinking early '60s meself.

Very plurry interesting pic , would love to know the bikes history, thanks for posting it , Dutch

I must admit I did google his name but forgot to copy the link, interesting stuff
Foss

Here's the link
http://www.sportingpulse.com/get_file.cgi?id=1259207

[Curly3]

Well there you have it, that's a great read.
I should've known you'd have an idea Foss, well done.

[pancho]

 Very interesting stuff, Dutch,  looks like he was a pretty tall dude by those handlebars.
 The bike and trailer would not have looked out of place at the first short circuit [dirt track] meetings that I rode at in 1958 on a rigid 500 Matcho. Those of us who had not got round to making a trailer [like me], made a litle bracket bolted to the towbar of the '36 Ford for the bike front axle after chucking the front wheel in the boot.
 cheers pancho