The motorcycle with sidecar outfit was restored back in the 1980s and was fully operational. It was taken on a number of rallies with the family on board and undertook a road trip from Sydney to Perth and back. In between rallies, it was housed in Kevin’s garage until 2011 when it was moved to its current display stand at the National Motor Racing Museum in Bathurst.
The motorcycle has sustained minor damage from a leaking battery (which has since been removed from the battery case) and from an article recently falling onto the paintwork on the front mudguard.
This very early 1914-15 detroit model Henderson ‘long-tank’ project is an extremely rare and desirable addition to the collection that Kevin had been building on for many years. It includes an original hub in near perfect conditon, a complete original engine with carburetor attached and the parts for a second engine including manifolds. The fenders/mudguards are original along with the handlebars and various other parts. We included a magneto, headlight, seat and early Corbin speedo with long cable. Once restored, this will be one of the world’s rare and desirable motorcycles.
Note that the front forks were made approximately 15 years ago and it is likely that Kevin built the tank. It is possible that the frame is one that Kevin modified from a slightly later model (extended to make it longer, see photo). The footboard had been recently cast.
A mostly complete and extremely rare and desirable in-line four cylinder Ace motorcycle circa 1925. Said by some to be the pinnacle of Bill Henderson’s achievements.
The engine was restored by Kevin and appears to turn. The parts were collected by him but it was never completed. We have since assembled much of it with the help of another Ace owner to give an indication of how spectacular the bike will be when it is fully restored and to check for completeness. The frame has been undercoated and the wheels and tank painted. It comes with a box of spares and additional parts that were not put into the bike as yet such as the front fork spring.
This little Douglas was ridden around Australia by Kevin in 1995 to commemorate and replicate the five month trip that was made by Arthur Grady in 1925, the first person to circumnavigate the continent on a motorcycle.
Sponsored by National Geographic, Kevin made the arduous trip at the age of 57 in ten weeks. The Douglas was restored to be as close as possible to Grady’s original bike. It now sits in the Motorlife Museum in Wollongong.