Innholdsfortegnelse for June 2017 i The Classic MotorCycle

Often, it’s the little things, the details, that fascinate me. For instance, looking back over the pictures of the NSU Special Max I rode at the end of last summer, in preparation for this issue, I realised that one of the things that appealed to me about the motorcycle, was the stylised ignition key. That and the reference to Martinware birds (see the feature on page 26) means that, basically, the German single is ‘sold’ to me. There was another similar instance when reading through the A7 restoration guide on page 90, when reference to the ‘twin carb’ Star Twin set me off. I confess, I didn’t realise such a model existed, but as soon as I saw mention, then that was it, I was off on a tangent, finding…

BEWARE OF SCAMS It seems a few ‘scam’ classified adverts have appeared in a couple of recent issues, namely to do with American machines being offered for either low prices, or with no price quoted. We can only advise to take extra care when responding to adverts and to satisfy yourself fully before parting with money. MECUM’S SUMMER SALE Following on from its gargantuan January sale, Mecum is now working towards its summer sale, on June 1-3. There’s expected to be something in the region of 750 machines on offer. Go to www.mecum.com  for more details. WAR AND PEACE The War and Peace Revival takes place on July 25-29, at Hop Farm Showground in Kent. The huge four-day festival features vehicles of all kinds, among its many attractions.…

1917 Keen to do her bit, Irish motorcycle enthusiast Sophie Eliott-Lynn signed to serve as a dispatch rider for the Royal Flying Corps in London. Much to the amusement of her Irish friends, some months earlier Miss Eliott-Lynn changed her Levis two-stroke for a 988cc Harley-Davidson V-twin. As it was an earlier model started by, as the catalogues described ‘step starting’ (push start), they were consumed with mirth. Not only did she prove them wrong in Ireland but she then rode from home to catch her ferry to Holyhead and then onto London via Birmingham, with her kit bag and a tin of Shell No.2 oil strapped to her 1942 It’s a fair cop, guv! An East Anglian policeman spotted through an ajar garage door a man filling his fuel…

Which bike from your past would you love to own again? Perhaps your first, or the machine you passed your test on? Maybe it’s one you sold that would be worth significantly more if you still had it now? Or it might just be the one you have the happiest memories of? The one Matthew Hilton most wanted to have again was his first ‘big’ bike: “I had a Golden Flash when I was 16. My mate up the road had a Super Rocket. He was a bit older than me. I used to go up to his garage and mess about, and he’d help me do jobs on my little 50. “One afternoon we spotted an old sidecar in a front garden. I knocked on the door and asked…

There has been a long history of tough, hardy souls chasing long distance motorcycle records, both in the UK and all around the world, but Albert Catt, from Northampton, was arguably the grandaddy of them all – and the toughest to boot. The boot reference is especially suitable as that was the trade Albert was in. He was, like the majority of Northampton citizens, a businessman involved in the leather trade, and a partner in the shoe making firm, W Barratt and Co, one of the country’s bigger shoemakers by the 1920s. It’s no coincidence Northampton football team’s nickname is the Cobblers! Albert didn’t restrict himself to narrow business interests – apparently, he was also involved in leather-trading, mail-order shoes and penny-in-the-slot gaming machines too. Supposedly, Catt was the man…

Impulse starters Do you or any of your readers know of any motorcycles fitted with impulse starters? In the 1920s, many engines were fitted with impulse starters including cars, tractors, motorboats and aircraft. The impulse starter works by driving the magneto through a strong clock-like spring. To start, the magneto is held from turning as the engine turns (is turned) until just after TDC when it’s released. A counter balance sprag that catches the magneto when stopped is disengaged when the engine runs. The slower an engine turns on starting, the easier it will be to start. Andrew Duncan, NSW, Australia. Impulse starting is an unknown quantity to me and if any readers can enlighten further, or know of any motorcycles so fitted, we’d all like to learn. To my…

1 A small selection of NOS motorcycle factory original, pattern and replica parts. 2 As we all know, almost every motorcycle maker, for more than the past 100 years, issued parts lists or illustrated books, detailing the parts and their part numbers. Useful if the NOS items on offer are in original wrappers or have appropriate tie-on labels. Many specialist makers, such as Terry (springs), Lucas (electrical), Smiths (speedometers/rev counters) and Hepolite illustrated here, issued their own books. Valuable for identifying pistons/rings, or speedometer codes etc and what fits what. 3 No prizes for spotting the vehicle factory original springs are on the left and the pattern Terry set is on the right. True, both sets are identical in that they are appropriate for Triumph B series…

During the August 1963 contest to find RoSPA’s (Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents) motorcyclist of the year, M Swift balances his 600cc AJS twin on the start-finish straight at Brands Hatch. Alas, Mr Swift wasn’t among the award winners in what was the fifth running of the event; that honour went to 21-year-old Mike Pitson, who ran out overall top performer. Pitson had been the winner of the 250cc class in the event’s first year, but after a five year hiatus, he came back and this time took overall victory, aboard his 250cc BSA C15. The event’s conclusion saw 143 finalists congregated, with 36 preliminary heats having already weeded out a lot of the early contenders. They used a great variety of machines too, with even a number…

THE CLASSIC MOTOR CYCLE (USPS:710-470) is published monthly by Mortons Media Group Ltd., PO Box 99, Horncastle, Lincolnshire LN9 6LZ UK . USA subscriptions are $63 per year from Motorsport Publications LLC, 7164 Cty Rd N #441, Bancroft WI 54921. Periodical Postage is paid at Bancroft, WI and additional entries. Postmaster: Send address changes to THE CLASSIC MOTOR CYCLE, c/o Motorsport Publications LLC, 7164 Cty Rd N #441, Bancroft WI 54921. 715-572-4595 chris@classicbikebooks.com…

Well-known photographer and author Don Morley had a surprise recently, when he was made honorary president of the Association Of Pioneer Motorcyclists (APMC). Said Don: “It is a rare honour for someone within my profession to receive such an accolade, not least as most of the 70-year-old association’s previous 49 honorary presidents have been TT riders or major industry figures.” The APMC is open to anyone who has held a motorcycle licence for more than 50 years. APMC membership is for life and new members are always very welcome. For details, write to John Webber, 11 Bootham Close, Billericay, Essex CM12 9NQ.…

In last month’s (May 2017) issue, a paragraph was accidentally cut from Steve Wilson’s Ariel KHA piece. On page 35 after “...similar to Ray’s winning machine…” should have come: “Val Page had designed the conversion, which involved a Lo-Ex silicon-alloy cylinder block with pressed-in iron liners, and a deeply finned, cast Y-alloy cylinder head with pressed-in valve inserts of austenitic iron, and, in a typical rider-friendly touch, the rocker boxes specially angled for ease of pushrod insertion (one in the eye for A10 owners). To hold down the head and block, in an elegant solution, there was one centre stud into the top of the barrel, and eight long through-bolts, which screwed into bronze inserts in the cylinder head, and rotated in steel sleeve ‘thimble’ inserts screwed into the top…

The Chalfont Hill Climb is one of the oldest continuously run events on the VMCC calendar, first run by the Chilterns Section in the early 1960s and subsequently by the Grasstrack and Speedway Section. All manner of machines have taken part over the years, from Ducati mopeds to hand-change, foot-clutch Indian twins, flat-track and speedway bikes and Velocette motocrossers. The short course has always favoured nimble machines, with Fastest Of The Day being taken by a 1920s Douglas, a 1970s Triumph/Husqvarna greenlaner, a trials Bantam, a Big Port AJS and a 1930s 350cc Rudge at various times. It’s time to encourage the road, motocross and trials machines back. They were the mainstay of the event for a long time, and could be again. So, if you are interested in taking…

On June 11 there’s the opportunity to join the Northamptonshire motorcycling fraternity in celebrating the fantastic efforts of Albert Catt (see Men Who Mattered on page 78 in this issue), on the Sunbeam Club’s ‘Rose of the Shires Run.’ Club members want to celebrate Albert’s 1911 achievement with a run around the area. The run is normally pre-1931, but there’s a ‘guest’ pre-1940 post-vintage class this year. The event consists of a morning run, lunch stop (Ploughman’s optional) and afternoon run, totalling 50 miles. It starts and ends at the Stoke Bruerne Canal Museum. Entry forms available at www.sunbeam-mcc.co.uk/calendar/?view=2017-6…

“If it had been possible to successfully cast aluminium wheels in the 19th century, spoked wheels might never have become the norm for vehicles.” Because we bandy words like ‘invention’ around so freely, it wasn’t until I took a fascinating course on technological innovation I realised invention is virtually non-existent. Oh, you can invent lies or political ideologies (which judging by Hitler or Stalin’s careers comes to pretty much the same thing) and you can dream up something like Einstein’s Special Theory of Relativity, so esoteric that your contemporaries can’t decide if it actually means anything. But when it comes to the practical things that really interest us, evolution is much more important that revolution. Take the basic concept of the wheel. You often hear the old chestnut that ‘man…

Leaking tank cure Five years ago, I had the leaking tank of my 1949 Triumph Speed Twin repaired by soldering two small splits and then lining with proprietary tank liner. Two years ago, it had started leaking again so the procedure was repeated, and now it is leaking again. How can I cure the leak once and for all? Name and address supplied. As you detailed in your letter the names and contact details of the repairers you used, this column has omitted your details to avoid any potential ‘heated’ discussions. While it is understandable you wanted to preserve the finish to your fuel tank, further conversations with you indicate the splits are about three inches long and emanate, one each, from the front tank to frame mounts, an alternative…

When John Surtees was guest of honour at the 2014 Classic MotorCycle Show at Stafford, he was in his 80th year. But his indefatigable nature and deep-seated professionalism shone through, as he patiently undertook all that was asked of him, and more, posing for pictures and signing autograph after autograph with impeccable grace and humour. In our current era, where sports stars are younger and younger, it’s perhaps hard for us to appreciate what Surtees meant at the time. Traditionally, sports stars had been chaps of a certain age, basically, and post Second World War, many were ex-servicemen. Even fresh-faced Geoff Duke, seemingly the first of a new generation, was in his late twenties by the time he found fame. John Surtees was different. He was racing motorcycles at…

There’s an autojumble at the MCN Festival of Motorcycling, to be held at the East of England Arena, Peterborough, over the weekend of May 13/14. Pitches are priced at £50 for the weekend for an 8m by 8m pitch; this includes a vehicle pass, two wristbands and also entry to the speedway racing on Saturday evening – watch Peterborough Panthers take on the Newcastle Diamonds in the Maxxis Arena in an official round of the UK Speedway Championships. For more details and to book an autojumble plot, contact ELK Promotions at PO Box 85, New Romney, Kent TN28 9BE, email events@elk-promotions.co.uk go to the website at www.elk-promotions.co.uk or phone 01797 344277/07803 366224.…

NMM AND H&H TO COLLABORATE H&H Classics, one of the top UK auction houses, announced today that it is moving its motorcycle sales from Donington Park to the National Motorcycle Museum from June this year. The first sale at this prestigious new venue will be held on June 1/2. This will be a long-term partnership with H&H Classics holding three sales in 2017 at the museum and a minimum of three a year in the future. RACE, ROCK ’N’ RIDE Race, Rock ’n’ Ride is back in 2017 at the Santa Pod Raceway on May 20-21. KEMPTON PARK Don’t forget the next jumble, at the Kempton Park Racecourse, on May 20.…

Author: Norman Vanhouse – with updates by Graham Vanhouse C.Eng., F.I.Mech.E. Foreword by: Jeff Smith MBE. Published by: Panther Publishing Ltd, 10 Limes Avenue, High Wycombe, Bucks HP11 1DP Tel.: 01494 534778. E-mail: rollo@panther-publishing. com www.panther-publishing.com Softbound, 170mm x 235mm, 188 pages, over 70 photographs and illustrations ISBN 978-1-909213-21-0 £14.95. The Maudes Trophy, a very substantial silver cup, was donated to the ACU (Auto-Cycle Union) in 1923 to encourage manufacturers to show how reliable its machines were by submitting teams to ride marathon distances in limited time under official ACU observation. To win this prestigious award required great confidence in the machines and riders’ abilities – to fail would generate disastrous publicity. The Maudes Trophy was a tempting peak to conquer and BSA wanted to be the first postwar…

“As I look around the shed of shame, I’m trying to find any common denominator for the jobs that I seem to have trouble getting to. Paint is one of them, wiring seems to be another.” While I will tear into the hardest of jobs and, for the most part, get them sorted, I’ll readily admit I find it a slog to finish a project, and when I do have something that’s sorted and running, it’s often only a tiny thing that takes it off the road and often for an extended period. My current embarrassment count stands at the 1968 Montesa Cota, which is completely restored all but a coat of paint on the tank, but it has been stalled for two years and counting. Next, there’s a very…

The amalgamation of Watsonian and Squire sidecar manufacturers in 1988 created the oldest and longest continuous sidecar manufacturer in the world – if anyone has been going longer, we’ve not heard of it. Watsonian began life when Fred Watson needed a sidecar he could squeeze through the narrow alleyway of his house so he could park in his yard. Fred invented and patented the folding sidecar concept, other people wanted one and a company was born. A need for powered ambulances in the First World War helped the fledgling company prosper and several moves to bigger and better premises were the result of this growth. Even a devastating fire in 1930 couldn’t stifle the company’s success and in that period before the affordable small car Watsonian benefitted from the family…

MAY 4 Chopper Night. Krazy Horse, Empire House, Lamdin Road, Lark Valley Business Park, Bury St Edmunds IP32 6NU. Tel: 01284 749645. www.krazyhorse.co.uk MAY 6 Rufforth Autojumble. Rufforth Park, York. Tel: 01904 738620.www.rufforthautojumble.com Jeff Mountjoy’s Big Ride Out. Paulton Rovers Football Club, Winterfield Road, Paulton, Bristol BS39 7QZ. MAY 6-7 Endurance Legends. Donington Park, Castle Donington, Derby DE74 2RP. www.donington-park.co.uk/events/motorcycle/endurancelegends/10227/#event Westonzoyland Sprint. Tel: 07753 146099. MAY 7 Ace Cafe London. Yamaha Day – 50th anniversary of the YR1 350 GP.www.ace-cafe-london.com The British Two-Stroke Club (Leicester Section). The Windmill Run, Wymondham, Leics. Tel: Eric Hathaway 01162 750532. Classic Motorcycle Show. Drill Hall, Walker’s Haugh, Peebles EH45 8AU. Email: embelleville@gmail.com Despatch Rally. Dorset wide. HQ = Sammy Miller Motorcycle Museum, New Milton BH25 5SZ. www.despatchrally.co.uk Sidecar, Trike & Three-Wheeler Day. Jack’s Hill…