This dirty, noisy, 1946 BSA has no lights, a history of winning and belongs to former superbike racer Steve Parlett who’ll put it on show at the 100th Anniversary of the First Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix in Goulburn. Photo: John Thistleton.
In 1981 when Ducati chose an 800-kilometre race to debut its revolutionary Pantah motorcycle for the Australian market, the international racing spotlight fell on two men from Goulburn.
They were Lee Roebuck, a national champion in peak racing form, and his race mechanic Steve Parlett. Their sponsor Fraser Motorcycles, Ducati’s importers for Australia, was given the new machines with next generation belt-driven camshaft motors for the endurance event at Oran Park.
Defying wet and treacherous conditions Lee and his co-rider Steve Fisher finished third. But even more exhilarating for Steve Parlett was telexing Ducati’s chief designer and technical director Dr Fabio Taglioni in Italy to exchange crucial information on the bikes’ performances.
He rates this event as the pinnacle of his career rebuilding, tuning and modifying racing motorcycles.
“Steve Fisher had sponsorship from Chanel 7 who sent a helicopter out to Oran Park when we were running the race engines in and filmed the bike going around, a world first for this modern Ducati,” Steve said. “It was a big deal for a kid from Goulburn; they’re flying helicopters around and interviewing us for a television program.”
The Ducatis came into his hands just nine years after he fronted up for work as a 15-year-old teenager to begin a heavy vehicle mechanical apprenticeship in Goulburn.
In the busy Department of Main Roads (DMR) workshop his no-nonsense foreman Cliff Dyer, once a champion bike racer, managed a team of mechanics and welders under pressure to keep their road maintenance fleet mobile.
Friction sparks flew as Cliff and his young apprentice clashed repeatedly.
Steve and his brother Chris had spanners in their hands since primary school, repairing motor mowers at their father Bruce’s Ampol garage on the corner of Clinton and Bourke streets.
He says Cliff was difficult and always a hard taskmaster. “To this day I still use skills he taught me,” Steve said. “He taught me how to sharpen a drill bit and I have seen many people make a very poor job of that. Every time I sharpen a drill bit to this day I think of him.”
Leaving the DMR, Steve began working at Lee Roebuck’s Yamaha and Kawasaki shop in 1978. (The previous year Lee had become an Australian champion on a 125cc bike).
After a while his old boss Cliff began calling in on the shop every Friday. Their arguments were quickly forgotten as they talked about racing bikes. As well as being a formidable racer Cliff was regarded as the guru in rebuilding and repairing machines.
In 1975 and 76 Steve Parlett and his older brother Chris raced a sidecar on tarmac at Oran Park and Amaroo Park. Achieving only minor placings, the experience nevertheless was valuable for Steve’s foundation years in learning to build, repair and race motorcycles. Photo: Parlett family collection.
In later years he came down with leukaemia, but was still able to enjoy an outing with Steve to dirt track race meetings.
When Cliff died in 1995 his family contacted Steve and offered to sell him his former boss’s 1946 BSA 500 which ran on methanol. Steve readily agreed and rode it for the 80th anniversary of the first Australian motorcycle grand prix in Goulburn. He will bring it out again for the 100th anniversary in Goulburn on 21-23 June.
“I had it sitting around in my shed for a long time with the idea I would maybe restore it,” he said. “A lot of the older motorcycle guys who knew I had the bike came and reminisced, told me stories about the history of this bike and we decided to leave it exactly how it was. It still has Boxers Creek dirt on it.”
He too has collected dirt, scars and memories, building superbikes, repairing others and racing them. He rebuilt a Kawasaki which he described as a fast and fickle machine on which he once reached 142 miles an hour at Bathurst in 1982.
He has travelled all over Australia with Lee Roebuck whose sponsors included Ansett Airlines and a chain of motels.
Steve, his father Bruce and brother Chris in the workshop of the family’s garage. Bruce was horrified Steve was racing superbikes, but he escaped serious injury. Later on the dirt bike circuit he broke his wrist, dislocated a thumb, broke his collarbone and ripped out his right elbow. He retired from racing in 1983. Photo: Parlett family collection.
“On Thursday night we would pack his F100 (truck) with the bikes and drive straight to Surfers Paradise (1023 km away) and drive straight back home at the end of the meeting on Sunday afternoon and be back at work on Monday morning,” Steve said.
He began going out with his future wife Vicki Adams. They would set off with Lee and his wife Kathy and head off on motorcycle racing adventures.
“That was one of the best times of my life,” he said.
Original Article published by John Thistleton on About Regional.
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