A couple of cool ol' sliders

[Doc]

Found these pics on facebook, Taken in the early 60's at Cribb Island mudflats (near Nudgee) before all the residents (300odd) were relocated and the land resumed in the early 80's by the FAA for extensions (new runway) to Brisbane airport. The only name I can attach to the pics is Bill Heilig.







Be nice to turn back time as I remember riding on these mudflats as a kid on my RM80B

[firko]

This is an unusual bike, I'd love to know a bit about it. The frame appears to be home made with possibly a BSA motor. The other bike's an early Hagon with a BSA 350 B31 engine (blue plates).

[JAP 454]

This is an unusual bike, I'd love to know a bit about it. The frame appears to be home made with possibly a BSA motor. The other bike's an early Hagon with a BSA 250 B31 engine (blue plates).
[/quote]

Firko, the motor is an Ajay or Matchy, BSA magnetos are at the rear of cylinder, the chaincase looks early AJ or Matchy as well as does the rear A frame. i can't figure the frame and front forks out,a good bit of backyard home brew , eh ?

And, yes the other is a Hagon, an early Grasstracker ( seat tube goes between engine and gearbox, unlike the Sandracer) with a 21 inch front wheel.
Just had a closer look at the Hagon,it may be a copy. It appears to have Bantam forks and steering head, similar to the 350 Ariel slider I built that Jim now has
Foss

[davidmc]

AJS magnetos are behind the cylinder, Matchless in front like the photo.

[JAP 454]

AJS magnetos are behind the cylinder, Matchless in front like the photo.

That's what I believed, too, until.............


Foss

[firko]

Hey Foss, you look like a backyard version of Brian Henderson the old Channel 9 news reader in the above photo .

I've shown Docs photos from the Nudgee mudflats to a couple of mates and none could identify the Matchless slider (silly me, now I look at it it's clear its a Matchy). None, even Jonesy can identify it. As shiny as the bike is with its flash paint job, it looks pretty home made, it just lacks the design touch a professionally jigged up frame should have.

Just had a closer look at the Hagon,it may be a copy. It appears to have Bantam forks and steering head, similar to the 350 Ariel slider I built that Jim now has

Foss, my old memory ain't what she used to be but didn't the very early Hagon's have Bantam forks....or exact copies of them? If the slider is a copy of the Grasstracker it's a bloody good one. Some of them were bloody awful as you'll no doubt remember. I saw a Tiger Cub powered Hagon copy break in half at Londonderry (or perhaps Arcadia) and when we took a squiz at the frame we discovered that it was made from pushbike tubing and conduit....fair dinkum, the bloke was lucky it didn't break at speed.  
 

[JAP 454]

I really like both the bikes, they are a tribute to Aussie backyard ingenuity and enthusiasm !!!!

As far as the early Hagon Grasstrackers go, my first JAP was one and all the Hagons I have seen had the bushed steering head and lacky band forks. I used what I had when I built the Ariel slider and carved the BSA.frame bits off the bearinged  Bantam steering head and welded the slider frame tubes to it, with a suitable wrap around fillet.

One more thing, the tank on the pictured Hagon or copy is a Speedway style tank, just like the one used on me Ariel, not a gen Hagon tank, so I guess we will have to keep guessing 

Oh yeah, a lad who saw the piccie of me on the Ajay, reckons it looked like Graham Garden !!, now, I never was a Goodie, eh ? 
Foss

[matcho mick]

arrrggghhh,Aj's never had rear magneto's (in the "modern" G type series mtrs),matcho went to front mount in errr late 52,definately by 53,manual adv/ret till 54 (500's) SR maggys,350's the next year from memory  ,
ps in case someone goes anarok on me,i'm talking basic road mtrs,compys always had manual ign control,(& really nice maggys  )

[firko]

I really like both the bikes, they are a tribute to Aussie backyard ingenuity and enthusiasm !!!!

Me too, they hark back to a simpler time. You've gotta love the young bloke on the Hagon's sockless Julius Marlows . I reckon the photo's from around 1970/71 going by his proudly displayed Bell Star full face helmet.

[JAP 454]

Thanks, Doc for putting these pics up it sorta gives ya an idea what lads were up to back in the day, I remember one lad we called " Tailshaft" cos his homebrew slider used a Holden tailshaft as the main frame tube, doubling as the fuel tank  for the 500 twin Triumph motor !!

Anyway here's the only action shot of me homebrew Ariel " slider ", it's running my older race # 453 which my son runs now.


Foss

[yamaico]

I really like both the bikes, they are a tribute to Aussie backyard ingenuity and enthusiasm !!!!

Me too, they hark back to a simpler time. You've gotta love the young bloke on the Hagon's sockless Julius Marlows . I reckon the photo's from around 1970/71 going by his proudly displayed Bell Star full face helmet.

If that open face is a Premier helmet, and it looks like one, I reckon it's about 73 Mark.

[firko]

You reckon it might be one of those cool metalflake Premiers Pete? I forgot them, I think Jonesy's got a stars and stripes one.....or is it a Cragar.

[yamaico]

I reckon it is Mark. They looked good but they were a shit of a helmet. I don't remember them doing a stars and striped version though, but Cragar did for sure.

[SlideRulz]

That photo of you Foss looks like entering turn 1 at Nepean with the old speedway track on the infield?

[JAP 454]

That's the one, Slides 1971 or '72.
Foss