What’s the last bike you bought for yourself?
“I just bought a Kawasaki KX500 off Parkesy (Broc Parkes). It’s a 2003 model, the last of the KX 500cc two-stroke motocrossers. I love two-strokes. And I’ve inherited one of Gazza McCoy’s trials bikes in Andorra from Parkesy. That’s what bit me!”
Any specials on the road?
”No exotic road bikes, no.”
Any projects on the go?
“I’ve got a heap of old two-strokes in Townsville, that I work on with my Dad. We got a Suzuki RM250 and put the engine into an RMZ rolling chassis, from a steel frame to an alloy frame.”
Cars?
“I have got a couple of nice cars, the main one is a Holden Maloo ute with the supercharged V8, making
about 650 horsepower.
“And I’m restoring a Holden HJ 1975 ute. An original one with the 202 cubic inch red motor with a 4-speed on the floor. I’m swapping that out for a LS3 Corvette V8 package with engine, gearbox, driveshaft and wiring loom.
“And I really like radio controlled cars – I’ve got six of them in my motorhome!”
What’s the music in the headphones on the grid?
“I rarely listen to music on the grid, more when I get back into the garage. My motorhome has a big sound system that puts out some noise. I listen to music every day, at home the stereo is always going.”
And the play list?
“I like all kinds of music – country, old rock, acoustic, some hip hop.”
The favourites?
“With country music I love Johnny Cash, The Highwaymen, Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, those good ‘ole boys, and Allan Jackson.
“I’m a huge music fan. Pink Floyd is one of my favourite bands of all time and Nick Mason – what a drummer – playing that wall of drums while standing up on one of their tours. And you can add in some Aussie Crawl and Dire Straits. I’d love to play an instrument, I’ve got four guitars at home but can’t play one of them.”
So you must be good for a singalong?
“I always get shit from the boys because I can sing the words to nearly every song, especially in Japan doing karaoke. And I really crank it up on a car trip, not good for sleeping! A car has got to have a good sound system.”
What’s your most embarrassing moment on a motorcycle?
“Besides breaking my leg on a trials bike?
“Probably the media filming day on the salt flats in Argentina in 2015 on a Honda CBR1000, painted up to look like my LCR Honda race bike. I was flicking it sideways and the handlebar touched the stop and that’s all the lock I had.
“I high-sided on the salt. The bike was fucked, the first time I wrecked two wheels in my life.”
