Lenny Kendall from Parkes is a long standing member of the Central West Car Club.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
He and his brother Jacko were members back in the mid 1980’s when the club’s hill climb event was regularly held out at the Golden Bar.
Such was the popularity of the event that it held a regular spot on the statewide motorsport calendar for a number of years.
Lenny’s always had an interest in cars and between he and his brother, they have a collection of mostly old Holden.
Bbut it was his passion for motorbikes that resulted in him unexpectedly purchasing the K2 Honda pictured here.
He went to buy a clock of all things at an auction/tender centre at Tweed Heads and ended up leaving with a motorbike.
It’s a 1972 Honda 750 Four K2.
He wasn’t exactly looking for a bike, but when he recognised what it was, Lenny decided to put a silent bid on it and at the end of the auction it was his.
The Honda 750 Four is touted as being the original “superbike” since its debut into the world market in 1969.
In an era when Honda was manufacturing motorbikes in Japan as cheap and thrifty commuters and exporting them worldwide, the U.S. market beckoned for a “bigger is better” machine.
Along came the Honda 750 – the first mass produced in-line four featuring four cylinders, four carburettors, four pipes and a front disc brake.
All of these were revolutionary at the time for a production motorbike of its type.
The first production numbers were small because there were those at Honda who felt the extravagance of such a bigger engine was too much.
And they believed the bike wouldn’t endure in the market.
Nothing could be further from the truth , and the introduction of the Honda 750 Four is said to have had arguably “the greatest impact on motorcycling of any model.”
When Lenny bought his Honda three years ago it was pretty much as you see it now.
The original 4 into 4 exhaust had already been changed to a 4 into 1, a popular period modification.
He’s made a few minor repairs to get the bike back on the road and tuned it, but otherwise it’s just been tidied up.
The bike was cleaned and polished in readiness for taking to the streets.
Being a bit older and wiser these days, Lenny is yet to test the virtues of the Honda as he remembers from his younger years, but he’s sure to enjoy his latest bike all the same.
The CWCC meets regularly at the Parkes Leagues Club on the first Wednesday of the month.
If you are interested in joining the club or finding out more about their activities you can find out more on their website www.centralwestcarclub.com .