Remember this photo that I published a couple of weeks ago? I promised that there would be a story to go with it and here it is.
Karl Praml, the man and his motorcycling impact.
Late last month we learned of the death of notable motorcycle mechanic and sponsor, Karl Praml. Karl had been experiencing ill-health for some time but his death, in Canberra Hospital, was sudden and unexpected.
Karl came to prominence during the halcyon days of Australian road racing, the 1970s. His sponsorship of a large number of road racing riders who would go on to fame (and, sometimes, fortune) has become woven into the fabric of Australian racing.
Karl Praml was born in Bergen Enkheim, on the Rhine River in Germany on the 30th November 1947. His family migrated to Australia in 1957 when Karl was just 11 years old. They settled in Oak Flats, just south of Wollongong and Karl completed his education, first at Oak Flats Public School and then at Dapto High School. He showed no interest in bikes to begin with and, after leaving school at 16 years old he took up a job at the James Hardie factory in Thirroul.
When he tuned 17 he got his motorcycle licence. Shortly after, Karl took off for Queensland and spent some time living in Gladstone and fixing motorcycles for all of his friends.
On returning to Wollongong he celebrated his 18th birthday by buying a new bike, a Triumph 650 Bonneville from Bill Morris’s shop in Corrimal.
Not long afterwards he met Willie again (they had met in school but nothing happened – “He was German and I was Dutch.”) and they started going out. His new job on his return to town was working as a mechanic at White Wear, repairing sewing machines.
Karl and Willie were married in July 1969 and he did his first bit of local motorcycle work, wrenching for local hotshoe, Stuart Bond on Bond’s 750 Kawasaki triple at the Bathurst races.
Karl got more involved in the industry when he took up a position at Fred’s Motorcycles, run by another noted Wollongong motorcycle identity, Freddie van Brockel.
Karl’s first brush with what was to become his life’s work was when a young bloke called Wayne Clarke, brought his bike into Fred’s for some work. More work on road racing machinery followed and Karl soon realised that this could be a career rather than just wrenching for someone else.
In 1971, Karl Praml Motorcycles opened in premises in Oak Flats and the business that he started there is still running today (with a 2-door move up the street to bigger premises)
The 70’s was a golden era for motorcycles in Wollongong and in Australia and a steady stream of young motorcycle racers found their way to Karl’s workshop. Dirt bike racing was huge with the local Mount Kembla motorcross track being one of the best in the country. Short circuit racing was also booming and another young bloke called Gary Rooke was doing well and Karl ended up looking after his bikes, too.
But it was road racing where Karl’s heart really belonged and the list of riders helped by and sponsored by Karl’s business grew and grew. Not long after, the “other” Wayne became one of Karl’s protégés and Gardner goes to great lengths to highlight the pivotal role that Karl and Wille played in his ultimate success.
As well, the Pramls helped/sponsored David King, Al Simpson, Johnny Zammit, Peter McGinnes, Robert Cady, Sedge d’Este and others.
At the height of those years, Karl’s workshop buzzed with himself, and his mechanics. Over the life of the shop, 11 apprentices were employed and trained, all working flat out keeping customers’ bikes on the road and on the track.
Karl also somehow found time to become a Councillor on Shellharbour Council for 12 years, an active member of his local Apex Club and, for many years, a Scrutineer and a member of and finally Chairman of the ACU’s Road Race Committee. During this time Karl recommended both Mick Doohan and Troy Corser to the hierarchy of Honda Australia and we know where THAT ended up.
Karl ceased his road racing activities in 1985 and, in 1987, sold his shop to another rider who had passed through his care, Trevor Jordan.
After taking a break but continuing to work on bikes at home, Karl felt the bug bite again and he opened TLC Motorcycles, a Honda dealership in Nowra on the south coast of NSW. The business prospered but was burgled twice in rapid succession in the early 2000’s and Karl closed the business in 2004.
Previously, Karl had suffered two brain aneurisms in 1997 and was lucky to pull through. Typically, when he felt that he was well enough, he booked himself out of hospital in Sydney and rode his bike home to Wollongong, turning up unannounced at the shop on Oak Flats.
But it was certainly a warning to him to slow down and he didn’t need much persuasion to retire, concentrate on his golf and work on developing the property that he had bought up in the bush near Nerriga. In 2001 he moved there permanently and set about “collecting” and working on bikes for the locals.
On 21-12-2019 Karl’s property was engulfed in the firestorm that was part of the 2019 bushfire disaster and he lost everything. Willie maintains that this event pretty much took everything out of Karl and, in hindsight, marked the beginning of the end.
After complaining of not feeling well, Karl’s daughter took him to nearby Braidwood Hospital who then had him transferred to Canberra Hospital where he passed away suddenly on the 25-09-2020.
Needless to say, the family prefers to remember Karl like this.
Karl was the classic quiet achiever. He never sought the limelight, indeed, he shunned it whenever he could. He preferred to let his work tell his story and was happiest when he was head-down-tail-up working on a race bike.
I’m proud to say that I knew Karl and his family well during those halcyon days and I counted him as a friend. I am grateful to his family for the assistance in providing the details of his life and work and helping me with the editing of this article.
His passing further thins the ranks of the great names of 1970’s road racing and depletes especially, the ranks of the great names of racing in Wollongong. His like will not pass this way again, and we are the poorer for his passing.