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This Pasco is one rare bird indeed

Posted on September 2, 2011

PROUD OWNER: Kevin Brown with the restored Pasco he inherited from his father.

By GRANT MAYNARD

THIS is one rare bike. And old too.

How rare? Well on a scale of one to 10, one being common, it’s definitely a 10.

As for old, well this gem, in all its motoring splendour, rolled out of Stan Pasco’s Melbourne workshop in 1916.

During the first three decades of last century, Australia had a thriving motorcycle manufacturing sector, and Stan one of those making bikes his way, with a JAP engine,

Sturmey Archer gearbox, rudimentary brakes and suspension, and very basic controls.

It was a common formula for the times, and brand names abounded.

The owner of this particular bike, Mildura’s Kevin Brown, said: “Motorcycling was a very different proposition in the early 1900s.”

Kevin’s 1916 Pasco is unique, in the true dictionary definition of the word – the only one of its kind anywhere in the world!

He explained that Stan Pasco was a smooth-talking salesman who, in 1914 had had two even more rudimentary bikes built. One for himself and another for his brother.

In 1916, with World War 1 in full swing, Stan secured a contract to deliver films and newsreels to Melbourne’s multiple picture theatres. This was the reason he had his 1916 model built with side car mounts – to carry his wares as he made his rounds.

Mostly constructed of proprietary English parts – including the 6hp JAP 770cc engine, three-speed Sturmey Archer gearbox, and Druid front end – it did feature some Australian ingenuity. The frame, for example, was constructed by a company called SUN in Melbourne, while the beautifully hand-crafted fuel tank, that also has provision in a separate compartment for oil, was built by the Edward Brothers in Geelong.

Like most veteran motorcycles of this vintage, Kevin says there is a real skill to riding the machine.

“For starters there are little to no brakes,” he says. “That makes it interesting when negotiating your way through today’s traffic. You really have to plan ahead.”

There are a myriad of controls, some more familiar than others, and generally long-forgotten skills to master if you want to make the best of your riding.

There’s the familiar twist grip throttle on the right, but also another on your left! That controls the advance of the spark that ignites the fuel… supplied by the American-made Splitdorf magneto.

Then there is the oil pump mounted high on the tank, with a sight glass to help you regulate the flow, manually of course, by way of a plunger and that has to be done as you ride along.

“There’s plenty to do while your riding,” Kevin says, “between making sure to keep the oil up to the total loss system, and planning your moves through the traffic.”

The Pasco is belt drive, and the brakes, such as they are, would look more at home on a carriage pulled by horses, rather than a two-wheeler pushed along by horsepower.

It is about two years since Kevin completed a ground-up restoration of his Pasco. It is the second time he has pulled the motorcycle to pieces and lovingly restored it.

The first time he did it was back in the late 1970s/early 1980s.

“I was on a tighter budget then,” he said. “And I had wanted to pull it apart for some time and do it again.”

Fortunately, this time around Kevin said, he had deeper pockets and he is rapt with the result.

Stan Pasco continued to build bikes after Kevin’s 1916 version.

In 1919 he went into partnership with a Con McCrae to build the Pasco ‘Masterpiece.’

The Australian formula for building a motorcycle in the years immediately following World War 1 was simple: get an engine, a gearbox, frame, tank and wheels, assemble it, paint your name on the tanks and you’re done.

Messrs McCrae and Pascoe, working from 242 Elizabeth St, Melbourne, stuck pretty well to the formula, but added some unique extras to make their ‘Masterpiece’ stand out from the crowd. These included a patented locking device on the rear stand, and a patented tool chest under the rear carrier.

But that wasn’t enough to keep the company afloat. The firm closed the doors in 1921, and the Pasco was no more.

There are no known surviving ‘Masterpieces,’ and Kevin reckons he is “bloody lucky” to have his earlier example.

He inherited it from his father, who must have been a man of rare insight. He obviously recognised the value of collecting old and/or rare motorcycles long before it became fashionable.

Kevin has quite a few bikes in his shed, but he reserves pride of place for this very rare bird.

Kevin’s piece of Australian motorcycling history will be the centrepiece of a motorcycle display mounted by members of the Mildura Vintage Motor Cyle Club at the September Red Cliffs Country Market next weekend.

“The market will be a great opportunity to see the Pasco, and other bikes that have been a part of Australia’s rich motorcycling history,” the market organisers said.

“And we expect the spring weather will bring out a lot of riders out to Red Cliffs on the day.”

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