OLD BIKE AUSTRALASIA: 691973, although it is very likely that
Tim owned it for some time before
registering ownership and the
registered address does not exist,
all of which has a bearing on the
next part of the story.
In 1972 Alf Groves (or somebody
purporting to be him) contacted the
Harley-Davidson race shop asking to
buy the latest updates for the KR750TT.
As the machine had now been superseded
by the XR750 they despatched two (yes
two) complete sets of latest tuning parts,
including the twin carb arrangement,
special barrels, close ratio gear cluster, a
complete selection of cams and a host of
special parts, free of charge. The date of the
request for the parts is strange as Alf had sold
the machine more than two years earlier and
seemingly had no contact with Jack McKay.
However Tim Thompson did know Alf Groves
and knew of his previous contacts with the HD
race department.
Tim Thompson was well known in Southland
and Otago for wheeling and dealing in motorcy-
cles and cars before his premature death. After
1960 KRTT 750 HARLEY-DAVIDSON
being caught taking deer carcasses he did commu-
nity service as a teacher, running a class at the local
Intermediate School for deprived children. One of
their projects was to rebuild a motorcycle he
owned! In 1978 Tim Thompson decided to take an
extended working holiday in Australia with his
friend Gordon Twaddle. Before leaving he told John
Twaddle (Gordon’s brother) that he had made a will,
leaving him the KRTT 750, and they joked about it.
After touring northern Queensland, Tim, Gordon,
and a lady Gordon met, went missing. Their bodies
were found on the side of a bush track in a remote
settlement called Spear Creek near Mount Isa; all
three of them had been shot. The crime has never
been solved despite circumstantial evidence as to
who the murderer might be, and is one of a number
of unsolved murders and disappearances in that
remote area.➢
LEFT 1960 KRTT engine
number, believed to be
the 15th made in 1960.Mikuni carburetor
fitted for ease of use.ABOVE Certificate of Registration in
Jack McKay’s name 26/2/1970.
LEFT The KRTT parts shipment
receipt from H-D.