CLASSICS
WORDS AND PHOTOS:
Rhys Jones
120 YEARS OF
NEW ZEALAND
MOTORCYCLING
s we are just a few months away from
the 120th anniversary of the first
motorcycle brought to New Zealand, I
began thinking about whether or not the list
of the greatest bikes ever will have changed
from the list assembled 20 years ago. At the
end of the last century motorcycle magazines
all over the world scrambled to publish their
Bikes of the Century. Not surprisingly, given
the global nature of motorcycling, their
results were similar. Although little is to be
gained from publishing lists of great bikes, it
is a reminder of how long motorcycles have
been around, and how subjective choosing
favourites can be.
The first motorcycle that came to New
Zealand in 1899 was a two and a half
horsepower DeDion tricycle. Imported
by a Christchurch resident it is, of course,
debatable whether or not it was a motorcycle.
The bicycle style seat, and handlebar steering, seemed, however, good enough to classify
it as a motorcycle. It would be a formidable
task to try to find how many bikes, from how
many different countries, have been imported
since the DeDion, but when considering the
most significant imports in 120 years, not
surprisingly, I believe that a similar selection as
the 100 year choices would occur.
In the year 2000 the majority of readers who
voted for their favourites chose machines
manufactured from before 1980. This may
suggest that bikes must first become classics
and prove their lasting qualities before they
are given legendary status. Let’s look at the
first six Bikes of the Century in the 2000 line-
up. Overwhelmingly the favourite was the
1969 Honda CB750. Honda built a million
of them until 1978. This machine changed
motorcycling in many ways, and paved the way
for the big four-stroke engine to become the
benchmark for most Japanese factories..
1889 DeDion First Motorcycle
in New Zealand Honda CB750
the first Superbike