Innholdsfortegnelse for March 2017 i The Classic MotorCycle

The other evening, I was having a discussion with a friend and we were talking about what the difference is between being someone ‘with a few bikes’ and someone who is a collector. At what point does one leave one group and move into the other? Of course, it doesn’t actually matter at all, but the concept is interesting. To me, the term ‘collector’ conjures up images of display cabinets of silver, or china, or rooms full of paintings. But is a motorcycle collector any different? Well, my point was that many are, I think. Because it’s surprising the number of people with large collections who still ride; which means they are not so much a collector, as someone who just simply has a lot of choices of what to…

The first weekend of February – the 4/5th – sees the 37th Carole Nash Bristol Classic Motorcycle Show, at the Bath and West showground, in Shepton Mallet. Gates open from 10am each day, with more than 80 owners’ clubs attending, plus autojumble, private displays, trade stands and the Charterhouse auction held in a separate building on the show site. There’s always a few unexpected gems on display, with local enthusiasts, including Douglas sprinter extraordinaire Henry Body, relied upon to bring ‘something special.’ Details from 01507 529529 or www.classicbikeshows.com…

The Carole Nash Classic Bike Guide Winter Classic at Newark was, in many ways, a tale of twins – Alan Baldwin’s 125cc Suzuki Stinger, a frantic two-stroke twin, dating to 1972, which was chosen as Best in Show; the Covel twin, displayed on the Velocette Owners’ Club stand by restorer Bill Dawson, while over on the Gold Star Owners’ Club, the spectacular V-twin Shackleford Special was causing visitors to stop and scratch their heads, too. Alan is the dad of Andy Baldwin, who, with partner Heidi Cockerton, is no stranger to show success, with their catalogue-perfect Suzukis meaning the family’s already groaning mantelpiece was due to be put under more pressure, as the bright yellow Stinger took the main award. The Stinger is a rare and interesting little machine –…

As Dave Rosser, co-owner of Robin James Engineering Services, and I stood back in the shadows and let photographer Gary do his work, Dave looked at this BSA and mused; “I’m glad it’s such a nice bike, as the guy has put so much into it, in terms of both patience and money.” It’s fair to say this has been a long-term project, with a lot of it not so much restoration, as recreation, and the project’s completion is especially satisfying for Dave, as it’s been his project from the start, a good while ago, when Robin was still running the business. Dave explains: “The frame seems to have been in South Africa, the engine Denmark, and it was basically bodged together and called a J34. It really didn’t look…

In fact, the course was so tough that it did for nearly 50 per cent of the entrants, as 20 of the 43 competitors were forced to give it up. Only one, E C Lunniss (Matchless sc) achieved maximum marks; in fact, it was a good day for the Woolwich maker as A V Adams was the best of the 350cc entrants, with F K Portway and E T Elliot second and third in the unlimited sidecar class, behind Lunniss. Although, as The Motor Cycle pointed, this event was the preserve of bona-fide private entries; at least, that’s what the majority were. Best solo rider was Ipswich rider A G Mann, in the unlimited solo class, on a Sunbeam. As there was 600cc class (won by R G Smith, Triumph)…

Laid low after a debilitating breakdown, the two-wheeled way of life and his many friends within the pastime have all been major influences in his gradual return to health, although it’s still an ongoing process. Dave is from Sevenoaks, in Kent, where he and his wife, Denise, have a house with a generously-sized garden, although quite an area has disappeared beneath an impressively large garden shed. As a workshop and storeroom it might be the envy of anyone who enjoys their motorcycling ‘hands-on,’ with room to spare for the parts and paraphernalia that seem an inevitable part of an interest in powered two-wheelers. Step inside and the shed is revealed as a workshop and, indeed, there are many bits of motorcycle, but that’s where the similarities with most enthusiastic hobbyists…

In order to prove the reliability of its 1939 M100 model and combat claims of superiority by a certain maker of twins down Coventry way, Panther’s MD Bertie Marians had one of the company’s big singles ridden nonstop for 10,000 miles. He followed this up with having the ACU – Auto-Cycle Union – do a further 10,000 miles on a relay basis from London to Leeds and back. Naturally the ACU had inspected and sealed the engine at the outset and were to strip the engine at the end of the test. The first 10,000 miles were covered relatively easily, but for the ACU test the weather decided to play a part and despite it being spring the riders had to deal with freezing temperatures, snow, fog, ice and, well,…

1951 Covel Velocette At the age of 18, Hedley Cox embarked on a project that remains alive to the present day. While working at Veloce Ltd. as a works racing mechanic, in his spare time Cox raced a 350cc Mk. VIII KTT Velocette. He hankered for a 500cc mount – there was such a machine sat in the corner of the factory workshop, but his boss would never allow him to use it. The only other racing 500cc Velocette he knew at the time belonged to Les Archer, but it was uncompetitive by 1950. Other options lay with competing marques and a loyalty to Veloce steered him away from them. With an aim to compete in the 1951 Manx Grand Prix, Hedley had a year to work it out. Inspired…

On March 4, 2017, Dee Atkinson & Harrison’s sale at Sledmere House, Driffield, Yorkshire, is offering this Matchless Silver Hawk. It is thought to be one of only 60 surviving examples of about 500 made. The estimate is £45,000-55,000. First registered on March 8, 1933 in Taunton, Somerset, to a Mr A C Thomason, the Silver Hawk later found its way to Kent, then Yorkshire. In 2009 Bonhams sold the unrestored Matchless for £28,000. Now completely restored, the engine has only been run for half an hour, never on the road, so gentle recommissioning is advised. Call Andrew Spicer 01377 253151 for details.…

Flying off... Back in 1960-ish, I used to annoy my next door neighbour by riding my slightly knackered – well, very knackered – 125cc BSA Bantam up and down my garden. This had to stop as my neighbour, who sold wet fish from a stall on Beresford Square, Woolwich, quite near Maxey Road, where the AMC factory was, threatened to do something very nasty to me while brandishing a large cod. I considered his actions quite inconsiderate, but then at the tender age of 13, I I would, wouldn’t I? The Bantam was duly sold for 10 bob and peace reigned for a month or two in my back garden, not to mention my neighbour’s ears. After that sale, I acquired an NSU Quickly. The handlebars were turned down, making…

It is now more than four years since Audi acquired Ducati, with the Italian concern struggling and in dire need of funds at that time. With the new backing, Ducati’s executives were able to finance development of a cache of new machines – necessary as different emission laws were coming into the industry, as well as facilitating Ducati to push ideas to market bikes like the Scrambler V-twin, and modernise the long-term and ever-popular Ducati Monster. “I’m sure Ducati is in good hands at Audi. They will care,” says well known off-road motorcycle champion Heinz Klingenschmidt, who rode DKW machines in the 1950s until the sturdy two-strokes were phased out by Auto-Union (which became Audi) due to the rapid sales drop of motorcycles as the Wirtschaftwunder enabled small cars for…

Even though it’s a demonstration event, some years Puy Notre-Dame can seem intensely serious and fiercely competitive. In other years, it’s the fun that shines through. In 2016 the sun shone, vintage motorcycles were multitudinous, annual reunions were held and everyone had so much fun that some thought that they should feel guilty about it! Puy Notre-Dame is becoming something of an all-round historic motorcycle experience. On the circuit, approaching 100 motorcycle and sidecar combinations competed. The oldest was Grégory Lochet’s 1917 Indian Powerplus. Most dated from the 1920s and 30s. Off the track, period enthusiasts were drawn to the single marque exhibitions – of Alcyon and Koehler-Escoffier motorcycles – in the courtyard of a former château. And if that wasn’t sufficient, new for this year was a vintage motorcycle…

FEBRUARY 4 Rufforth Autojumble. Rufforth Park, York. Tel: 01904 738620.www.rufforthautojumble.com FEBRUARY 4/5 The 37th Carole Nash Bristol Classic Motorcycle Show. Bath & West Showground, Shepton Mallet, BA4 6QN.www.classicbikeshows.com. Tel: 01507 529529. FEBRUARY 5 Ace Cafe London. Bike Day.www.ace-cafe-london.com (SCRMC) Ltd Haggis Gathering. Lawrie & Symington Agricultural Centre, Lanark. Tel: 01294 833320 Huddersfield Autojumble. Old Market Building, Brook Street, Huddersfield, HD1 1RG. Tel: Jeff 07795 505388 Email: jeffpff@hotmail.co.uk LE Velo Lancs & S Lakes. Fleetwood, (meet model Boat Lake). Tel: 01772 782516 FEBRUARY 12 Sunbeam MCC Gordon Jackson Trial. Bagshot Heath, North Hants. Tel: Neil Sinclair 07885 660939. Email: sinclairndlp@hotmail.co.uk Ace Cafe London. 59 Club Renewal Day.www.ace-cafe-london.com Ace Cafe London. MAG ‘Fred Hill’ Memorial Ride-Out.www.ace-cafe-london.com FEBRUARY 16 LE Velo Lancs & S Lakes, GB Antiques, Lancaster. Tel: 01772 782516 FEBRUARY 18…

The stands are set, the motorcycles in place, the placards up, and there’s a fair few potted plants in position on the Norton stand in the foreground on the left too, as the final finishing touches are applied here and there before the hordes descend on 1924’s motorcycle show at London Olympia. Norton’s display (front left) is easy to make out; the silver and black machines surround the Senior TT trophy, awarded in 1924 to the Bracebridge Street concern’s Alec Bennett, for victory in the Senior race, on a pushrod 500cc machine, though it could also perhaps be George Tucker’s trophy for winning the sidecar TT, on the 588cc ohv works Norton. The two most prominent machines on display from this angle are both side-valves, the one at the back…

The countdown has begun to the biggest classic off-road event of the year, and so it’s all eyes on the Telford International Centre which will once again host the two-day Classic Dirt Bike Show sponsored by Hagon Shocks. Taking place across the weekend of February 18/19, one of the star guests has been confirmed as Honda’s motocross GP general manager Roger Harvey, who is a motocross veteran and 1983 British 125cc champion. Joining Harvey as special guest will be Peter Duke – a former International Six Days Enduro competitor, founder of motorcycle media giant Duke Video and son of six-time motorcycle world champion Geoff. Clubs and private entrants will pack into the venue, bringing together a fascinating collection of historic off-road machines. Rare racers set to go on display include…

Philip McGurk became the first man to lap the Isle of Man TT circuit at over 100mph with a BSA Gold Star engine when he covered the 37.73 mile course in 22 minutes 24.43 seconds. His 101.030mph second lap of the Senior Classic TT brought his average for the four laps to 99.943mph, just three seconds outside the magic 100. Through the Sulby speed trap his speed was 129.30mph. McGurk finished 14th in a race dominated by Paton twins, the MV Agusta triple, and Manx Nortons. McGurk was entered by Dave Hardman, whose Featherbed-framed special used a short-stroke engine developed and built by Phil Pearson, a Norfolk engineer who has been working on Gold Stars for nearly 50 years. While a 1956 DBD34 delivers about 42bhp at the crank, the…

‘A breed apart’ read the headline in Triumph America’s advert for the Trophy 250. The image accompanying it showed the machine parked in front of a stable block, a thoroughbred stallion being led out by stable hands in the background. The copy beneath it was equally bold: ‘The little Triumph with big bike performance. All of the competition-bred features that are a Triumph tradition in a trim, lightweight package... Everything you’ve come to expect from the world’s leading manufacturer of high-powered, cat quick, reliable motorcycles has been bred into the Trophy 250.’ It was the bike, and the image, Triumph desperately needed in late 1960s and early 70s America. Although sales of their larger machines were still relatively strong, they were losing serious ground in the lower capacities; Hondas in…

Oxford Royal Enfield, and its customising arm BMCC, inhabit a reassuringly petrol-head location. It’s an industrial estate behind a farm, where in other units you keep getting glimpses of classic Mini Coopers and T-Series MGs. Despite the official-sounding title, the outfit is essentially two men and a shed, albeit a large, well-heated one. Bruce Maconochie held a Royal Enfield franchise in nearby Didcot until 2011, when ill health and other factors meant a downsize and diversifying into customising, where the low cost of preowned Bullets meant that he could offer customs priced for the real world. Alan Charlton is equally involved, and bears a tattoo of the winged Royal Enfield badge on his forearm to prove it. Their customs – bobbers, 1960s to 80s-style chops, as much or as little…

At the writing school of a former employer, we were taught to be unbiased and never include personal anecdotes. Let’s break some rules… I’ve never been a fan of BMW flat-twin roadsters. They’re too gentlemanly and the gyroscopic effect of their engines when pasted is unnerving. For me, it’s very old motorcycles, hooligan mounts (big singles with ridiculously tall gearing) and Villiers-powered lightweights. Yet when I ride a BMW I enjoy it. And on the motorways it is king. My late father’s 1955 R60 with full aluminium touring fairing transported me from Newcastle to Cambridge in torrential rain at 70-plus mph other than roundabouts and traffic snarls, at which it settled to a smooth idle without a moment’s fluffing, despite the hammering it had just received. Its reliability became annoying…

THE SPECIALIST As an extension to the Norton 16H Restoration Guide (TCM, December 2016) this guide to the 500T will hopefully offer some pointers to those interested in Norton’s post Second World War endeavours with off-road motorcycles, following the well-proven, service issue WD16H. Once again, the valuable services of the Norton Owners Club and its spares scheme secretary, Ian Somerville, are gratefully acknowledged. www.nortonownersclub.org MODEL HISTORY After the Second World War and its dedication to supplying military orders, Norton was keen to get back to its respected pre-war position. While the side-valve 16H Norton had served dispatch riders well, and had reasonable off-road qualities, in 1946 Norton perversely decided the ohv Model 18 would be the basis of its trials mounts. Riding factory-supplied machinery, the Irish trio of Artie Bell…

By applying logic without any fore knowledge of the four-stroke engine cycle, it would make sense to imagine the exhaust valve/s open/s as the piston begins its upward stroke from BDC (bottom dead centre) and closes at TDC (top dead centre) on the exhaust stroke. Likewise for the inlet valve to open at TDC and close at BDC on the induction stroke. And, in fact, that was the case, or almost, with early engines. Many pioneer engines from the De Dion Bouton ‘high speed’ unit unveiled by designer Georges Bouton in 1895 were of automatic inlet valve design, with mechanical control to the exhaust valve and the theory detailed in the previous paragraph loosely applied. Give or take a degree or two the exhaust valve opened at BDC for the…

The Motor Cycle journalist David Dixon has a go on the grass-track racing outfit usually campaigned by Ken Norcutt and Brian Peeling, in late 1962, as published in the January 20, 1963 issue. Crewed by regular passenger Peeling, the Triumph Bonneville-powered racer was being sampled by Dixon, who explained he’d already raced an outfit on the grass earlier that year, in the form of Mike Lane’s 596cc ohc Norton single. But as Dixon said: “The riding position, handling and power delivery were entirely different. So it was necessary to start all over again.” Though campaigned by Norcutt and Peeling, the outfit was actually owned by John Bingham, who, in league with his 15-year-old son David, built and kept it prepared at his base in Wainfleet Bank in Lincolnshire, 170 miles…