Text/photo:Terje Bredal
As usual, on the first Saturday in June, a VETERANDAG was held at Speed Motorcenter. On June 7, last Saturday, it was time again and owners of treasures of all brands were invited to come and show off their vehicles. It is truly inspiring to see how the old Japanese motorcycles
Saturday was the eve of Whitsun, so there was a lot of excitement about how many people would make their way to Speed to show off their bikes. The excitement was well and truly dashed, as we’ve never had a turnout like this on Veteran’s Day before. Just after 08:00, the first bikes were already in place despite the fact that we only opened at 10:00.
And here there were really many goodies to rest your eyes on, ranging from a Diesel powered Enfield, (1997 model, one of the youngest bikes in the yard) 325 cc, 6.5 HP and with a consumption of 0.15l/diesel per mile. Req# in Indian!
Kai, who came with Enfielde’n earlier this week, tipped me off about a guy from Ulefoss who has a number of Kawasaki 900s that he has refurbished, including the first Kawasaki 900 that was sold from Speed. The bike was test ridden in 1974 by Speed salesman Hans Petter Wallin. In March ’75 it was registered and delivered to the first owner.
The bike was being refurbished, but the guys at Ulefoss MC said it had to come to SPEED on Veteran’s Day. Current owner Helge Finckenhagen, (far left in the picture) and some friends set to work assembling and preparing it. On Saturday, he arrived with the first KAWASAKI 900 delivered by Speed Motorcenter. A 1974 Kawasaki 900 Z, a jewel of a bike
There must have been 15 Kawasaki 900s in different versions for Veterans Day, all equally well maintained! The first version 900 was produced 1972 – 1975, and this was the KAWASAKI 900 Z1 (See picture above), a 903ccm inline four-cylinder engine with 82Hp, and a top speed just over 200Km/h (130MPH). In 1976, the first Z900, then with a stiffer frame, double disc brakes arrived. In the ’90s came the Kawasaki ZXR1100/ZXR1200, based on the retro styling of the Z1, but upgraded with the modern technology of the time.
Above you see a Kawazake GPZ 900 R and below a Kawasaki Z1300,6 cylinder in-line engine, produced in the period `79 – `89. This is somewhat rebuilt by Are at Løvås motor.
There were also LOTS of goodies from YAMAHA. From a garage here in Sandefjord we found the following goodies
– YAMAHA TDR250 – `90 (2t) – YAMAHA XT500 – `78
And not least this row
From left:
– YAMAHA FZR1000 – `87
– YAMAHA TZR 250 3MA – (reversed cylinder with carburetors in front!) `90
– YAMAHA RD500 – `85
– YAMAHA XSR900 – `23 – converted to replica RD500
Not to mention from the same garage
-Honda NS 700 R – `87 (2h) and Honda VFR 400 – `87 – both Rothman styled
Our own YAMAHA XJ650 TURBO, refurbished in the winter of 23-24 was of course in place. This was the first XJ650T sold in Norway, and it was Grethe Moen at Yamaha Norway who bought it. At the time, it was NOT type-approved in Norway, so the bike had to go to the Norwegian Motor Vehicle Authority for type approval. Grethe had this for many years before Borge Kristiansen from Larvik bought it and we took over this summer 2022. It now appears almost as new.
We were visited by a YAMAHA LS2 100, a 2 cylinder 100cc motorcycle produced in 1972. This model with classic 1970 styling with chrome fenders, chrome pots etc. was only produced in 1972, when it was replaced with a 125ccm in 1973. Today, the LS2 100 is considered a classic with high collector value!
In the background is a Ducati 900 SD Darmah, introduced in 1977 to build a more friendly image compared to Ducati’s Hardcore Sport models. This was designed to appeal to a wider audience through a more balanced user experience in terms of performance and “everyday use”. Not many people in Norway have seen this one, but it’s sitting in a garage in Sandefjord!
Of course, we had the classic Honda CBX, a 6-cylinder piece of jewelry.
In 1988, BMW Motorrad responded to the Japanese dominance in the sport and supersport segment by launching its BMW K1. This was BMW’s attempt to create a bike with power characteristics and aerodynamics adapted to the German limit of 100 hp on a motorcycle at the time. This was to be a highway cruiser that could do over 200km/h. Several of our customers have/have had this model, and the latest addition to the trunk from a very good customer is this one:
As usual at Speed, we grilled sausages, served coffee and freshly baked waffles – this went down a treat!
Overall, the Veteran’s Day at Speed was very successful, and there were many good words from the many guests who came to see the many treasures and well-maintained vintage motorcycles the customers brought to the market.