Innholdsfortegnelse for November 2016 i The Classic MotorCycle

This month has taken in my favourite event of the year, the Irish National Rally, which was as fabulous as ever and held in mainly brilliant sunshine. Two days on the 1924 Montgomery-Bradshaw, then two days on the 1930 Model 9 Sunbeam, after the poor Montgomery cried enough after about 300 hard miles, but it was, all-in-all, fantastic from start to finish. As well as that, I have managed some other nice rides too (I never tire of the Norfolk coast, in particular) while I also made it down to the Kop Hillclimb again this year; not to ride, alas, but actually it was quite pleasant to just amble about and chat. There were some interesting machines there, too; more on that next month. There’s also been another new arrival…

A group of enthusiasts, led by Shetland VMCC members Joe Gray and Frank Johnson, took the VMCC’s 70th Anniversary baton to the top of the UK in Unst, Shetland. On Sunday, August 14, the duo set off from Lerwick in the company of 10 fellow members of the Shetland Classic Motorcycle Club to take the baton to the end of the last public road in the UK. The road trip of about 69 miles involved hopping on and off ferries from the Shetland mainland to the islands of Yell and then Unst. Once on Unst, it was a quick dash to the end of the road at Skaw. Skaw is further north than Cape Farewell in Greenland and there’s nothing but sea and ice northwards to the North Pole. The…

Following the massive success of Museum LIVE over the past two years, Saturday, November 5, 2016, will see the museum host its third annual free open day when everyone will be invited to visit the museum collection free of charge. Among the attractions are an indoor autojumble and trade area (for details of how to book a six-foot pitch for £30 call 0121 704 2784 or email sales@nationalconferencecentre.co.uk), you can meet the experts and see stars on stage, with Carl Fogarty and James Whitham. Plus there’s the museum’s summer 2016 raffle to win a 1990 Norton Rotary F1, which will be drawn live on stage.…

Special day out Firstly, thanks for the articles on the Aermacchi 250/350 bikes a couple of months back. I have a 1969 350cc SS350 here in the Philippines. I bought it from the late Lance Weill in Los Angeles in 1990, took it to Hong Kong where it became a bar decoration, then brought it to the Philippines where I restored it. For those that don’t know, Lance was one of the first Americans to make an impression in UK road racing in the 1960s, even before Cal Rayborn. Living in the Philippines, I make it to the UK every two years and I try to visit bike meetings and museums when I am there. This year, I made my third visit to the Sammy Miller Museum. When I came…

The Clubman’s TT races ran from 1947 to 1956 and the thing many enthusiasts of TT history will know about them, is that they were apparently abandoned having become a BSA Gold Star benefit. In the 1956 Senior, for example, of the 28 finishers, 20 were on the Small Heath singles, with the top 18 all Goldies, save for a solitary Triumph in seventh. The Junior was even more BSA-heavy; of 50 finishers, 48 were BSA. Incidentally, Alan Shepherd was third in that race on a three-year-old Inter Norton. But it wasn’t always thus. In the first 1947 races, there were 350 and 500cc class wins for (both actually prewar) Inters, courtesy of Denis Parkinson and Eric Briggs, while Geoff Duke famously won the 500cc class in 1949, a feat…

On January 2, 1937, Fred Reed of Cowfold, West Sussex, gave himself a New Year’s present, trading in his Velocette at Jackson Bros, Horsham, for a brand new B24 350cc Empire Star. Two years later, in 1939, having covered around 6000 miles on the BSA, Fred took the government’s advice and dismantled the bike to stop it being used by potential German invaders. He distributed key components, after greasing them up and secreting them in boxes and tins, among his family. History does not relate what happened to Mr Reed, but 60 years passed before his widow, Mrs Ella Reed, asked her neighbour, Jerry Mitchell, what she should do with her late husband’s old motorbike. Jerry had owned more than 100 motorcycles, and was an engineer. Realising what a unique…

It didn’t take long before Ariel’s two-stroke twin design attracted the attention of those wanting to make it faster and a prime mover in that area was Hermann Meier. Journalist/racer, Vic Willoughby, was invited along to the first test of the racing Arrow at Silverstone in April 1960. The feature he produced allowed quite a lot of technical information to be shown and was as honest a racer description as could be wished for. On the face of it, Ariel as a manufacturer did not go racing: parent company BSA would have been against it so this race effort was through former Norton star and motorcycle dealer Harold Daniell’s business. Behind the scenes, it was a different kettle of fish, as just about anyone who was anyone at Ariel was…

For me, there is a personal connection with this machine. I’ve known of its existence for many years, but it was only in 2015 I first clapped eyes upon it, when I was invited to view it where it was then stored. A bit like the Loch Ness Monster or the Beast of Bodmin (unlike the Broughs of Bodmin, which were real) for years I’d known about the existence of the Croft-Cameron, this sort-of mythological machine, more unusual, exotic and advanced than a Brough-Superior SS100; though I’d never seen it. The ‘personal’ story goes back to the 1960s, when my dad was a new member of the VMCC. The family which owned (and indeed, at the time of writing, still owns) the big V-twin was local to dad, and would…

undertaking full restorations and servicing too. The business’s shop is a mecca for enthusiasts of the motorcycles of the period. The era that interests the company was one of rapid development, resulting in some stunning machinery. As the Third Reich increased in power, so all German industry benefited from funding, encouragement and support. The racetracks of the world were just one arena that Germany decided it would dominate, with motorcycles part of that plan. The raceware was backed up with some interesting and innovative road-going machines, too. Rear suspension, multi- Vintage German Motorcycles is a specialist in machines from 1930-45, made in Germany. Based in California, owner Mike Dunn offers a comprehensive service, with Zundapps a particular speciality, though BMWs, DKWs and NSUs aren’t neglected either. Mike’s personal interest in…

At TCM HQ we have a full photographic studio... the ideal place for taking pictures of motorcycles in a controlled environment. We’re now planning more of our successful studio days, when readers bring their machines to our base at Horncastle in Lincolnshire (postcode LN9 6JR) where the motorcycle will be photographed, we’ll ask you a few questions about the machine, and there’ll be a buffet lunch, too. The idea is we generate great features and content for TCM, while you come away with a set of pictures after a day chatting about classic bikes. Anyone interested should email jclements@mortons.co.uk or call 01507 529289. Dates are TBC, but one will be in late October, the other in late November, the first a weekday, the second probably at a weekend.…

One of the most exciting motorcycles to grace Stafford for many a year will be at the show on the Mortons stand over October 15-16, in the form of this sensational MV four ‘special.’ The breathtaking cafe racer was created by Massimo Tamburini, one of the three founders of Bimota, and was the basis, in many ways, of the first Bimota. Built around one of MV Agusta’s 600cc ‘tourers’ Tamburini’s machine featured a frame of his own construction and a shaft-drive conversion, among many other outstanding features. It really is a rare opportunity. Star guests are the American men of cult movie ‘On Any Sunday’ – Dave Aldana, Don Emde, Mert Lawwill and Gene Romero – as well as all the usual attractions, including a Bonhams auction featuring the Croft-Cameron…

Stood alongside one another, what is most obviously apparent about this pair of International Nortons, built just two years apart, is the differences, rather than the similarities. But actually they have more in common than they don’t – but that’s the power of packaging, for want of a better phrase, with the Featherbed-framed machine seeming not two but 10 years the younger. It’s also not as if this pair of machines were envisaged for different tasks – in fact, both were ordered and purchased for the Clubman’s TT, the pinnacle of production racing during the 1950s, the silver-and-black ‘Garden Gate’ version first competing in 1951, the ‘Featherbed’ framed polychromatic grey machine in 1953. In another link between the two, the man who rode the Garden Gate in the 1951 TT…

From Wakefield, Plews was something of a Clubman’s TT ‘expert’ recording several good placings, his best being fifth in the 1951 Senior (Norton) while he raced the Featherbed International featured here to sixth place in the 1953 race, at 81.44mph, with a race time of 1.23.24.0mph. He’d also placed sixth in the 1952 Junior Clubman race on a Norton. He made his Manx GP debut in 1953, 13th on a Norton in the Senior race and 18th in the Junior on a BSA, before making his bow in the TT races in 1955. His best TT finish was to come in the 1958 Senior TT, on a Manx, when he finished 30th at 88.05mph, a race time of 2.59.58.8mph. His last appearance came in the 1959 races.…

Those of us who were around before the British motorcycle industry imploded in the mid-1960s, will need little reminding of the big-name London area dealers. Top of the list was Pride and Clarke, plus Claude Rye, Glanfield Lawrence, Elite Motors and umpteen more. And then there was Comerfords of Thames Ditton. Comerfords was just as important as the rest, but was subtly different because of its focus on off-road competition machines. Internationally, Comerfords would actually have been even better known than the others, as its workshop was where the USA team headed to prepare the ISDT bikes supplied by Triumph. And later on, Comerfords supported star American trials rider Bernie Schreiber. In the late 1960s things were changing in the trials world. The era of the heavyweight AMC, Ariel, BSA…

Terry Mitchell didn’t set out to clone his original machine, no, he wanted the actual one and spent a long time trying to seek it out. His hand was forced when it became clear it had disappeared from the face of the motoring earth so based on his knowledge and memory the roadster Arrow is a copy of the earlier one… though if anyone does know where VBU150 is or can confirm it has been scrapped, then let us know and we’ll pass on the info to Terry.…

The Tours Commemorative GP at Chinon? Well, to cut a long story short, it’s all down to trams! The old city centre circuit at Tours was fine – until the lines of a new tramway twice bisected it. Even that wouldn’t have been a problem if the city fathers had agreed, for just one day a year, to truncate the line to allow the circuit to operate unimpeded. But no. It was decreed that on the arrival of each tram, racing must cease, barriers be placed across the track and everyone be patient until the tram had passed. After two years of that, and with no sign of compromise from the authorities, the organisers had had enough and moved the whole event 50 kilometres south-west to the ancient town of…

THE SPECIALIST At present, no-one specialises in British Anzani motorcycle engines. Doubtless, there are others, but the following businesses have said they can offer help with repairs, restoration and replacement parts. Alpha Bearings – 01384 255151 – crankshaft specialists Cameron Engineering – 01684 899084 - general repairs and re-manufacturing Cegway – 07718 518823 – pistons made, or modified, to specification Villiers Services – 01384 265797 – repairs, rebuilds and a small stock of British Anzani NOS parts HISTORY Italian Alessandro Anzani formed his eponymous engineering company in 1906. It did pioneering work in car, motorcycle, then aero engines. Louis Bleriot chose Anzani for the first English Channel crossing. After the First World War, demand for aircraft engines all but vanished. A 500cc single-cylinder engine developed by the French arm of…

The Robert White Collection auction, held at Bonhams’ HQ in New Bond Street, London on Monday, September 19, hammered at £3 million, with 99% sold. The late Robert White bequeathed the collection’s proceeds to fund advances in cancer diagnosis and treatment in his home county of Dorset. Motorcycle highlights included a lovely, unrestored, fully documented 1951 Vincent 998cc Series C Black Shadow sold for £82,140, and a 1921 Megola (built from a genuine engine in replica cycle parts), sold for exactly the same amount. The auction also set a world record for a George Daniels Anniversary model wristwatch, achieving double the estimate at £224,500. Bonhams co-chairman Malcolm Barber said: “Today’s sale attracted bidders from across the globe. As auctioneer of the sale, I’m delighted that after 10 hours on the…

Sunbeam MCC’s Graham Walker Memorial Run was held on Sunday, August 7, 2016. An entry of 100 riders, made this one of the club’s best events at Beaulieu, all played out in fine sunshine. The riders set off on the road safety run at 1.15pm on a route laid out by the Southampton and District MCC, which also provided road marshals and markers. The route from Beaulieu has an easy ride through the New Forest, heading to Brockenhurst and Lepe down to Calshot, giving excellent views across to the Isle of Wight and Cowes week sailing, returning through Hythe and Holbury to Beaulieu, a route of 46.9 miles. There is also a route of 22.6 miles for veterans and lower powered machines. Unfortunately, Murray Walker OBE, one of the club’s…

Mawson, an Isle of Man butcher, rode the featured Garden Gate Norton in the 1951 and 1952 Senior Clubman’s TTs, finishing both times – 38th in 1951 and 56th in 1952. His best lap of his two rides came in 1951, when he lapped in 32.17s. His race times were 2.13.18.0 at 67.94mph in 1951, then 2.14.55.0 at 67.12mph in 1952. He also rode in six Manx Grands Prix recording a brace of 42nd place finishes – in 1952 on a Norton and in the 1954 Junior on a BSA – while his best-ever finish was in the 1954 Senior Clubman race on a Featherbed International, with 22nd at 74.99mph. The 1954 Manx races was his last competitive appearance in the Isle of Man. A successful businessman, the Second World…

My young friend Ed Batty is impulsive – but in a cautious way. This chimes with his somewhat contradictory character. He rode a BSA Bantam to school in the 1990s, graduated to an M21, but was then lured into Japanese alphabet soup-land, riding fast and hard on a Suzuki GSXR – to his work in Oxford in the sober world of financial services. For years, Ed has been toying with a return to classic motorcycling, regularly running past me a stream of WLA Harleys and prewar BSAs, and equally regularly missing or rejecting each of them. A 1936 BSA Q8 Empire Star sounded more of the same. The vendor was four hours away in the North East, and trying to rush Ed into parting, sight unseen, with £6250 – a…

Though the press of the day, inextricably linked to the industry, painted a slightly more positive picture of Ariel Leader sales, it soon became evident the ‘stripped-down’ Arrow was intended to use up unsold Leader stock. With a price tag of almost £45 less than the Leader, the Arrow was bargain-basement motorcycling – but a good motorcycle. Aimed at the more sporting rider, this appeal was helped even further when Hermann Meier, a noted two-stroke tuning engineer, built a racing version for Mike O’Rourke to use in the 250cc TT in 1960. The result was incredible – against specialist racing machines, the roadster-based Ariel managed a superb seventh place. Around the same time, a young lad called Terry Mitchell was beginning his motorcycling on an Ariel Arrow – registered VBU150…

Many riders had made it their new year’s resolution to enter the International West Kent Run. Warm, sunny days spent sharing a common interest in riding old bikes seem distantly remote in the middle of winter, but word continues to spread that this is one of the top Vintage Motor Cycle Club (VMCC) events and every year the 350 entry limit is reached more quickly. Organised as ever by a small group of members of the West Kent Section of the VMCC, the 32nd run offered the usual tried, tested and successful format. Based in the grounds of ‘The Friars, the priory at Aylesford in Kent, there were social runs on the Thursday and Friday, the main run on Saturday, the public display day on the Sunday and a final…

Rear Admiral Sir Robert Arbuthnot, 4th Baronet, KCB, MVO was born in Alderminster, Warwickshire, during 1864. He joined the Royal Navy as a 14-year-old cadet on the training ship Britannia in 1877. Arbuthnot progressed through the ranks with purpose – Lieutenant 1885, Captain 1902, Commodore (second class) 1910 and Rear Admiral, 1912. Although an exemplary career, some questioned his methods, with Admiral John Jellicoe, then commanding the grand fleet, stating ‘…his ideals are too high and he can’t leave people alone.’ But Jellicoe added: “I have the highest opinion of him.” While commanding the 1st Battlecruiser (Cruiser) Squadron at the Battle of Jutland, May 31, 1916, Arbuthnot’s flagship HMS Defence (Minotaur-class armoured cruiser, launched 1907) took a direct hit, resulting in a rapid series of magazine explosions. Within minutes of…

To date, the New Imperial Model 30’s dry build has sailed along. But the eagle-eyed will notice a few omissions, including a total lack of lights, no rear stand, and even the gear change gate is missing. Really, I’d like to either rebuild the wheels or engine next and leave the omissions, as they’ll consume lots of time and try one’s patience for seemingly little gain. Problems included both red rear and clear numberplate lenses missing from the back light, a complete mess, and lack of parts, for the front light (including mounting cups, switch gear components) while the combined headlight and parking light build holder was ‘fully floating’ – that is, attached to nothing except lengths of ageing sticky tape. The rear stand had been bought from a friend…

OCTOBER 7-9 Rally. Lowerhouse Cricket Club, Lowerhouse Lane, Burnley, Lancashire, BB12 6LP. Contact details: Red 07955 859476 or Ian 07970 978060. Email risingmoonmcc@gmail.com OCTOBER 8 British Two Stroke Club (Lincs Section) Autumn Leaves Run. From Coningsby Moorside. Tel. Bob or Maureen 01526 345720. OCTOBER 9 Ace Cafe London. Brit V’s (Vincent & Velocette) & Classic Bike Day.www.ace-cafe-london.com Kenley Autojumble The Portcullis Club. Kenley Airfield, Victor Beamish Avenue, Caterham, CR3 5FX (just off Jnc 6, M25) Contact Martyn 07772 169524 or kenley@indianriders.co.uk See more at www.facebook.com/KenleyAutojumble BTSC West Surrey. Red Neck Run leaving Wisborough Green at 10.30 for QE Park Petersfield. Contact Bill 01483 272765. VMCC (Essex) Huffer Run Rayne Railway Station. Tel. Derek Wickes 01787 472432. VMCC (Dorset) Winter Run. Sherborne. Tel. Roger Gillard 01935 814267. Garstang Autojumble. Hamilton House…