Innholdsfortegnelse for October 2017 i The Classic MotorCycle

So another month has flown by, in a whirl of events and rides, ranging from the grand scale Donington Classic to lots of local club runs, all the while managing to put plenty of miles on various bikes, including the Model 90 Sunbeam I rode at Banbury and which I’m lucky enough to have been allowed to keep by the National Motorcycle Museum for the duration of summer; it’s a lovely bike and a delight to ride. There’ll be more on it at a later date – it has a fascinating story and Peter Woodward, who restored it years ago before selling it to the museum, has been in touch and we’ll be detailing that in a later issue, too. During the course of one weekend, I rode a prewar…

LINCOLNSHIRE SALE On September 9, there will be a dispersal sale of a collection of vehicles and machinery at Branston, near Lincoln. The auction will see 15 classic motorcycles offered, plus spares, vintage horticultural machinery, stationary engines and vehicles, including a 1934 Hillman Minx and a 1965 LandRover. Themotorcycles include two Ariels and six Francis- Barnetts, one of which featured in ‘Francis-Barnett –The Complete Story’ by Arthur Gent. Details from Robert Bell & Company at www.robertbell.org or 01507 522222. BORDERS CLASSIC The Borders Classic Bike Show will be pulling the crowds into its picturesque setting at the LaconChilde School (founded in 1745) in Shropshire’s Cleobury Mortimer on September 9-10. This is the 30th show and welcomes Colin Seeley as guest for theweekend. The doors open at 9am both days. All…

Author: Ian Falloon Published by Motorbooks, an imprint ofThe Quarto Group, 74-77 White Lion Street, London N1 9PF Tel: 01903 828503 E-mail: mailorders@lbsltd.co.uk Hardback, 312 x 255mm; 256 pages with 300 colour and 200 black and white photographs. ISBN 978-0 -7603-4545-0 £35 UK; $50 US; $55 Canada Originally formed as a bicycle company in 1885, Triumph branched out into motorcycle production and, by 1902, it had produced its first motorcycle – a bicycle fitted with a Belgian Minerva engine. It was not until the advent of Edward Turner’s Speed Twin in 1936 that the company became a dominant force in the motorcycle industry – compact, reliable and fast; the Speed Twin was the world’s first massproduced superbike. From there, the company, in various iterations, went on to build some of…

Perusing the August 2017 issue, I turn to page 90 and there was the bike that makes this old heart jump. A 1959 Greeves Scottish. After watching works rider Jackie Simpson practising on his bike, with an alloy barrel with detachable transfer ports no less, I lusted for one. I traded inmy faithful, heavy 350cc 1953 rigidMatchless trials for a sparkling new Scottish 200 from John Surtees’ store for the princely sum of £200. Moorland blue with a light blue petrol tank, so light and smooth, but it went down the road like a crab! Quick ride over to Essex to the works where the rear wheel was rapidly changed and all was well. Rode it in a local trial, the Sidcup 60, a real mud plug. When I got…

It could be argued that Steve’s pedigree as a skilled engineer goes right back to the age of 13, when he built a go-kart fromabed frame andamoped engine, all welded up in a neighbour’s garage! Within a year he had his first BSABantam, andworked in a garage during school holidays to earn a bit of money. Although he was born inGlasgow, his familymoved to South Wales when he was just three years old after his dad was promotedmanager of a cold store refrigeration company, and they lived at Dinas Powys, just outside Cardiff. Steve bought a Garelli Tiger Cross sports moped when he was 16, and while he reallywantedaDucati Desmo 250 when he reached his next birthday, he bought a BSA Starfire instead, then another in order to make a…

(fromTheGo-BetweenbyLPHartley) Now I’m as nostalgic and patriotic as the next man, but I find it puzzling that so many people seem to believe an old British bike is necessarily a good old bike, when much of the evidence points to the contrary. When I ran an Indian-made Royal Enfield, numerous folk admired it and said it was a pity they didn’tmake ’em like that anymore. I found that quite amusing considering the Bullet was just about the only motorcycle stillmade in the traditional way, but I soon discovered people weren’t really interested in the bike itself; what they actually wanted was towallow in rose-tinted nostalgia about the good old days when motorcycleswere supposedly lovingly assembledby skilled and enthusiastic British craftsman. This belief in the superiority of home-produced classics is so…

YWA UK motorcycle write-off categories A few months ago, one of my classic motorcycles was crashed by a friendwho was covered on my insurance. Rather than repair the machine atmy own expense, I processed an insurance claim in the hope the machinewould be repaired. Againstmywishes the insurer wrote the machine off, quoting tome it was ‘…a category Cwrite-off.’ As I didn’t want to lose it, I bought the write-off back from the insurer by adjustment to my total loss payment. As I was then undertaking repair of the machine, I informed themthey should remove the category C write-off status as it no longer applies as the repairs are now my responsibility. They refused, and when I remonstrated I was informed thiswas nowa DVLA matter. I think this is all wrong…

The cylinder wall… …Is the working space in an engine, pump or other reciprocating device in which pistons travel. Usually, the cylinder is round, but there have been exceptions. For motorcycles, the cylinder is created in the engine’s barrel/s, but may be in banks for multi-cylinder models. The cylinder/s of veteran, vintage and some classic machines are created by accurately boring the barrel internally and the piston/s’ rings travel directly on this surface. The same applies to many modern ‘lifed’ economy engines. For the rest, the barrels/blocks have cylinder liners installed. In all cases, the bored areamay be treated/coated or both. Cylinder liners (aka sleeves) These are cylindrical tubular components fitted into barrels or blocks to create the cylinder/s. Along with pistons/ rings and crankshafts, they are most important parts…

At the end of July 1928,ThThThe London Ladies’ MCC held a gymkhana on the News of the World sports ground, Mitcham, on a Saturday inwhat was reported as ‘ideal weather.’The organising club was assisted by the Carshalton, Redhill, Streatham and Sydenham clubs, while the ‘…whole entertainment went with a swing and a freedom fromdelays that made for a really successful afternoon. Winner of the blindfold race for sidecars wasERWarr (Rudge) while the victor of the ‘quite difficult test’ obstacle race wasWA Jenkins, Ariel. G Taylor won the reverse car race, though the Hon. Mrs Victor Bruce – who had finished sixth in the 1927 Monte Carlo rally – collided with a goalpost.Mrs Bruce – born Mildred Mary Petre, known as Mary – had a quite remarkable life, which encapsulated motor…

Third in the list of all-time GP winners, Spain’s Angel Nieto died on August 3, 2017, as a result of injuries sustained in a quad bike crash, on the island of Ibiza, where he was resident. Thirteen times a world champion (though he preferred ‘12 + 1’ owing to superstition), Nietowas victor in 90 GPs, putting him third on the all-time winners’ list. The accompanying picture is one of those victories, the 1970 Ulster GP, as Nieto zipped to 50cc class success, the 1969 world champion on his way to retaining his title. In 1969, he was Derbimounted – the same as in 1970. Born in January 1947, in Zamora, Nieto was Spain’s first motorcycle world champion, spawning a legacy which continues, as Spanish riders dominate the MotoGP paddock, while…

BRIGHTON SPEED TRIALS Held this year on September 2, the historic event on MadeiraDrive welcomes some equally historic machines, including the Bayley-Cole Douglas and LeighRudge. There’s a plethora of interesting cars too. H&H SALE The second H&H sale at theNational Motorcycle Museum takes place on Saturday, September 2. MELLING BOOK There’s a new offering out soon from Frank Melling, entitledRideOf My Life. BEAULIEU DATE A rather cute vintage special, consisting of a Triumph frame and running gear with a Brough Superior JAP SS80 side-valve engine, is one of the machines on offer at Bonhams’ Beaulieu sale on September 2. More details on 0208 9632817 or www.bonhams.com/ motorcycles EUROJUMBLE Move fast, because the NetleyMarsh Eurojumble, in Hampshire is on Friday, September 1 and Saturday, September 2. BACKTOKEMPTON The next Kempton Park…

1917 Many observers postulate we will soon be able to buy petrol, benzole, gas, water, compressed air, electrical energy and other consumables at roadside suppliers sited on everymajor highway throughout theUnited Kingdom in addition to the in-townmotor/motorcycle shops, chemists and hardware stores we currently use. Foreseeing this development the Commissioner of Police recently issued a circular to local authorities prejudicing such schemes and inviting unfavourable criticism. As expected, local authorities have objected to anything which assists themotoring/ motorcycling movement. Now – if it had beenmore wayside horse troughs… 1942 Douglas, IoM-born Major JW Graham Oates is organising a series of RASCTrainingBrigade trials and demonstrations. Aware that many volunteers have never ridden motorcycles or changed a sparking plug while others have never ridden off-road,Major Oates, a well respected prewarmotorcycle competitor, is…

Imagine for a moment the urge to restore a classic motorcycle took hold of you. Your first port of call would probably be the classified section of your favourite classic monthly, a browse of some popular internet sites, or a flick through an auction catalogue – after all, to restore something, you first need something to restore... When the urge to resurrect a classic first took hold of Andy Pennell, all he needed to do was pick up the phone to his father-in-law Peter: “He’s got about a dozen bikes of various ages. This was the first one I managed to persuade him to part with. “It was all in bits. I don’t knowhow long it had sat for... a long time. It was in a right mess, but most…

Positively luxurious, the 1909 Pierce was the first four-cylinder motorcycle manufactured in the USA for customer sale. With its massive tubular steel frame, it also stood out for the smoothness of its four-cylinder engine, leading to it being dubbed the ‘Vibrationless Motorcycle’. As a Pierce advert declared: “Pierce motorcycles are not made to compete in price, but to surpass in quality. It is a deluxemotorcycle for discriminating riders.” The fact that it traced its roots to the Pierce- ArrowMotor Car Co, maker of the most prestigious American cars then available, added further lustre to its appeal. The son of English migrants to the USA, George Norman Pierce was born in 1846 in Friendsville, Philadelphia, but hadmoved to Buffalo, NY by the time he started a business in 1865, known as…

So, even after four decades playing with motorcycles I have had it reinforced that ‘F’ tight is always too tight. What’s the torque figure for the rear wheel nuts onaMontesa Cota, please? Oh, we just pull them up ‘F’ tight – they can settle and work loose occasionally. Cue a decent length spanner and a heave. A number of miles later, grab the big handled spanner again, and give it another heave, just in case it had settled and, sure enough, it comes up a fraction more. Thus started the ritual of big spanner and a heave every so often – sometimes it was tight, other times it took a fraction more. Last weekend, it occurred that I hadn’t checked the rear wheel tightness on the Cota for a while.…

SEPTEMBER 1/2 The 24th Carole Nash Eurojumble. NetleyMarsh, near Southampton, SO40 7GY www.classicbikeshows.com Ticket hotline: 01507 529529 SEPTEMBER 2 Rufforth Autojumble. Rufforth Park, York. Tel: 01904 738620. www.rufforthautojumble.com Classic Motorcycle Show. Buntingford. Tel: 07963 609143. SEPTEMBER 3 Classic Motorcycle Show.TheWhite Lion, 46 High Street, Baldock, SG7 6BJ. Tel: 07963 609143. LE Velo Lancs & S Lakes. Bolton Abbey Railway Stn. Tel: 01772 782516 Ace Cafe London, VJMC Bike Day. www.ace-cafe-london.com Grampian Transport Museum. Grampian Motorcycle Convention. organised by the Bon Accord Motorcycle Club. Charterhouse Auctioneers Classic Car andMotorbike Auction. Classic Motorbikes NW Classic Motorcycle Show. including the Festival of 1000 Classic Cars, Cholmondeley Castle, nr Malpas, Cheshire, SY14 8AH Tel. 01484 667776 Email: info@classicshows.org classicshows.org SunbeamMCC Ginger Beards Trial. JacksonWoods Horsmonden Tel: Neil Sinclair 07885 660939 Email: sinclairndlp@hotmail.co.uk SEPTEMBER 7 Krazy…

When Christian Schmidt made the journey to the north of Baden-Württemberg in 1880, he hadmore on his mind than women. An old folk story claimed that the best wives inGermany could be found there, but he was looking for a place to build a factory tomanufacture strickmaschinen – knittingmachines. Schmidt found an old sawmill, close to where the rivers Neckar and Sulm came together, and his knittingmachines were soon being used by the best wives in Neckarsulm and beyond. But four years later Schmidt died at the age of only 39 and his brother-in-law Gottlob Banzhaf took over. Theman was a commercial genius, and within two years he began making high-wheel bicycles bearing the NSU imHirschhorn trademark. These were of such good quality and sold so well that sewing machine…

The highlight of the VMCC’s Founders Day, on July 23, in some way happened for me before I’d even made it onto the Stamford Hall site. As I waited to turn onto the road leading to the showentrance, a black-and-gold vintage motorcycle rode past, its petrol tank bearing the legend ‘HRD.’ Wow, a Howard Davis (so pre-Vincent) HRD and, from the brief glance as it flashed by, it looked like a Super 90, the top of the range job based on themachine the company’s founder used to win the 1925 Senior TT. There was only one place this chap and his steed were heading, so I endeavoured to track themdown. Having parked up, I went in to the show – and immediatelymy eyes alighted on the HRD, with its owner…

There’s only one way to assess the quality of a classic motorcycle gathering: tinnitus. No two-wheeled event is worth going to if one’s ears aren’t rattling come 5pm Sunday. Over the weekend of August 4-6, at the Donington Classic Motorcycle Festival, there was no shortage of decibels, but this wasn’t just noise. Rather, it was a cacophony of wonderful, rich, varied and distinct engine sounds, each sound penetrating the airwaves with its own hallmark of engineering history. Indeed, the three-day festival was a feast of classic racing, parading and static displays, with the CRMC (Classic RacingMotorcycle Club) running its own races as a part of the wider motorcycle festival. And what a happy marriage that was – slick racing alongside parade laps, bringing together classic racing’s new blood and its…

OSBORNE LOUIS DELISSA Born in Australia in 1875, De Lissa started his working career in his native land asamining and then marine engineer, before heading to Britain and joining the DaimlerMotor Company in Coventry, where he further studiedmotor engineering, before transferring to Rover, in the same city, where he worked for three years. In 1908 he headed south, joining the company Hand A Dufaux, England, Ltd. of 65Holborn Viaduct – the London branch of Swiss firm Motosacoche. On his arrival, De Lissa found that the firm was struggling, the coffers were empty, and despite his being no salesman – or having any experience of selling – he resolved to rectify the situation. Motosacoche’s 1¼hpmachine, the company’s sole offering, was well made and creating plenty of interest, though few were sold,…

Bray’s Cleaning Brush At a recent Kempton Park autojumble, good friend John White thrust a tiny retractable brush into my hand with the comment: “Any ideas?” From this, I knew John had sussed the brush. As I rolled the new, unused item in my hand and retracted the brush occasionally, the penny dropped – it’s an acetylene light burner cleaning brush. Fixed items, often clipped into a small spring clip on the inside of an acetylene headlight are familiar, but I’ve never seen such a bespoke, retractable example as this example, made by George (Geo) Bray and Co Ltd. The Bray business was founded in 1863 to make porcelain-tipped gas jets, at that time for coal gas street lighting and other similar applications. For well over a century, the Leeds…

PRICING Don’t expect knock-down prices for a knocked-down bike! For something inboxes and allegedly complete, take a deepbreath and expect to part with £2500-£3000. Up and running bikes will be twice that, but first-class machines among dealers’ stocks are already being adornedwith five-figure price tags. IN CONCLUSION Arthur advises: “When it comes to choosing a restoration project, the later, the better.”This can ease some potential restoration problems. It is advisable to try and establish precisely what is being offered. An early Daytona is not hard to fake, but defining the detailed specification of a bike is far from easy.The factorymade numerous modifications and applied them in seemingly haphazard fashionat times, including the progressive change from Imperial to Unified fasteners. Arthur’s restoration work has thrown up numerous idiosyncrasies. If all else…