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http://www.facebook.com/oldbikemagMore recently, the business has shifted to Esk, a more central location with a building offering
greater space. “We chose Esk due to its ideal proximity to all major centres as well as being a great ride
for customers around some of Queensland’s most beautiful waterways being Wivenhoe, Somerset and
Perseverance,” says Naomi. The showroom houses many rare and interesting machines as well as the
30-strong collection belonging to Brian Holzigal who has owned classic motorcycle businesses in
Brisbane and USA.
The heart of the business is the workshop at the rear of the premises, which does everything from
routine tuning to complete restorations. Jim has years of experience working on British bikes, and compli-
menting his expertise is a huge parts inventory. With an eBay store, phone orders and floor traffic, the
shop is always a hive of activity, and Jim and Brian are always tinkering with something out of the ordi-
nary in the workshop. Check out their web site at http://www.blacktopmotorcycle.com.au or call 0414 477823.Jim and Naomi McKenzie started Blacktop Motorcycle Works six years
ago at Clifton on the Darling Downs in Queensland.Blacktop: a family business
Blacktop’s impressive showroom.Jim McKenzie and
Brian Holzigal.Howlong. From there it was basically head North-
West to Cameron Corner via every minor dirt road we
could find, including a few we didn’t intend to travel
on (read: lost). Cameron Corner is one of a couple of
places in Australia where you can visit three states in
less than five seconds by foot and, apart from the
corner store and a fun ride (the Dunes route), that’s
about it. The bikes were running well, our bodies
were holding up, so where to next? Innamincka
sounded like a good idea. So off we went.
A fairly casual day later found us there but still
wanting more. Birdsville was the next logical
destination but the flooded, fast moving Cooper
Creek meant a detour would be required. This,
however, would stretch our fuel carrying capacity to
the limit. Sav had a 30L tank on his DR and I had
13L in the tank and five on the back (that’s the way
I like travelling with him). Time for a change of
plan: we headed South to Arkaroola in the Flinders
ranges where we did a lap of the North and South
ranges. Sav had suggested this and it seemed like a
good idea to me so off we went. About a hundred
km down the road it dawned to me that all our fuel
consumption figures were predicated on traveling
North not South. It was as far to Arkaroola (the next
fuel stop) as it was to take the detour to Birdsville. It
was a long 450km and after milking Sav’s DR twice
we just made it. I gladly paid $2.07 per litre.
The following day I encountered the one and only
problem I had with my bike; the battery died – it
internally fell apart. Rough roads had taken their toll.
No problem: when I built the bike I kept the original
Lucas Layout: Zenner, capacitor and points ignition.
Kick-starting, although a little awkward with 11 to 1
compression as compared to the electric start I’m
used to, worked well. That was until my kick-starting
foot slammed into a block of unseen concrete,
resulting in one badly bruised foot; so it was off to
Port Augusta for a new battery and with a small
mod to the wiring we were on our way again.
A few days later and many more dirt and twisty
roads found us back home. All in all it was a great
ride ...but I will admit a warmer time of year would
have been preferable.
Sav having smoko in style.