Innholdsfortegnelse for January 2020 i The Classic MotorCycle

In 1969, my dad bought an A10 Super Rocket. He was 21 and £60 in those days was a lot of money. One Saturday night, dad went to a party. His bike was outside when three girls walked in. One of the girls asked: “Wow, whose is that bike outside?” That girl was my mum, and they have just celebrated 48 years of marriage. Dad has been struggling with starting the bike lately. Has he sold it? “That bike is going nowhere,” he said, so he bought an electric starter from a man in Cardiff and had it fitted by a man in Ludham, Norfolk. He’s now as happy as a man on a motorbike – my dad, Mick Lathrope. Tina Lathrope, via email. PS. Dad’s claim to fame was…

The message came through from my friend Nigel Waring: “Are you doing anything Monday?” This was on a Thursday, and I was bound for Kop Hill Climb the next day, staying until Sunday. “Well, nothing, I think…” “Would you like to come to France with me? My new Egli is ready for collection!” Well, what could I say? So now faced with taking the bikes in the van to ‘Kop’ (in Oxfordshire) for the weekend, it was going to be a trip home (Lincolnshire) Sunday night, unload, then back down to Nigel’s in Oxfordshire first thing Monday morning, for our whistle stop trip to France. But having been a long-time admirer of the beautiful Vincent produce of the Godet Motorcycles workshops, there was no way I was going to turn…

Aged 18, I was shown by my father, Oskar, the resulting mayhem caused in an engine rebuilt with one or more bent conrods. Albeit it was a car engine, the graphic example has lived with me through over 50 years of motorcycling. The car, a Porsche 356 under repair in the Cambridge workshop my father ran, presented with visible metal flakes to the mouth of its oil filter during a routine service. Further examination revealed much reduced compression to one of its four cylinders. Yet the car still started easily and performed well. An engine strip uncovered visible damage to the errant cylinder’s conrod, implying a past blow up, and even by eye it was clearly banana-shaped. On further inspection, the bent conrod’s big end was found to be all…

DECEMBER 7 Southern Classic Off Road & Racing Show & Motorcycle Jumble. Kempton Park, Staines Road East, Sunbury-on-Thames, Middlesex, TW16 5AQ. www.kemptonparkautojumble.co.uk.Tel 01507 529529. Mission Not So Impossible - Santa’s Toy Run. Sammy Miller Museum. www.sammymiller.co.uk DECEMBER 8 ’Normous Newark Autojumble. Newark Showground, Newark, Notts, NG24 2NY. www.newarkautojumble.co.uk.Tel 01507 529529. Bike Day. Ace Cafe, Ace Corner, N Circular Rd, Stonebridge, London, NW10 7UD.london.acecafe.com. Paws ’n’ Claws Pet Food Run. Ace Cafe, Ace Corner, N Circular Rd, Stonebridge, London, NW10 7UD. london.acecafe.com. VMCC (Dorset Section) Mince Pie Run. See website for details.dorsetvmcc.co.uk. Tel 01258 860864. DECEMBER 15 Bike Day. Ace Cafe, Ace Corner, N Circular Rd, Stonebridge, London, NW10 7UD.london.acecafe.com. Xmas Toy Run. Ace Cafe, Ace Corner, N Circular Rd, Stonebridge, London, NW10 7UD. london.acecafe.com. Xmas Carol Service. Ace Cafe, Ace…

New Zealander Roderick (Rod) William Coleman, who died on August 8, 2019, started racing as a teenager. In 1949 his father Percy, who was a racing star in the family’s native country as well as a motorcycle trader, helped his son secure passage to Europe, the goal being that the young man would set the road racing world alight on his Isle of Man TT debut. Unfortunately, it didn’t quite go like that initially, as Rod crashed his AJS 7R in practice and broke his jaw, which was set – wrongly. But young Coleman knew it wasn’t right; he’d gone to medical school in 1946 but after a couple of years quit having decided it wasn’t what he wanted to do. Still, his medical training paid off, as he reset…

Innovative engineer Allen Millyard first came to prominence with his multi-cylinder Kawasaki based specials, as he added more cylinders to the 1970s two-strokes, as well as other Japanese-made machines. But actually, he’s really interested in old British machinery too, as witnessed by his Velocette MAC-based V-twin, built up out of a Velo that has been in the family for many years. The Velocette special was just one of the Millyard machines wowing the crowds at the Stafford show, while the man himself was on hand to explain the work that has gone into so many of his motorcycles. The physically biggest of the lot was his Flying Millyard, a big V-twin using two aircraft cylinders on a specially made crankcase. Apparently, the torque is something else. And, yes, Allen rides…

In his recent Guardian gardening column, horticultural expert James Wong wrote: “If you want a truly indestructible houseplant, there are few that will survive quite such a high level of neglect as an aspidistra. It will tolerate more shade than pretty much any other, not to mention months of drought, the coldest of drafts and almost any pest going. Hence the Victorian common name for the species: ‘cast iron plant” This is not a gardening column. But it is important to reflect on the qualities of the evergreen perennial because it was after this plant that the Panther became known as ‘the biggest aspidistra in the world.’ The Panther Model 100, built by Yorkshire-based company Phelon & Moore, was no showpiece, but it was a reliable, tough, hardy machine that…

The 250cc title chase Like the 125s (as featured last month), the 250s were out on the Mountain Course for the first time in years* for the Lightweight 250cc TT and their GP season opener. Lunchtime rain had stopped when the lone figure of Tarquinio Provini bumped off his reluctant Morini, to be pursued moments later by the MVs of Luigi Taveri and Carlo Ubbiali. But it was Gary Hocking (MV) who took the win, breaking 1954’s lap record from a standing start to take the lead, leaving Ubbiali and Provini to battle for second. Records tumbled every lap, with Carlo setting the final new best at 95.466mph. At the flag it was Hocking from Ubbiali and Provini with the Hondas of Bob Brown, Moto Kitano and Naomi Taniguchi completing…

An important milestone has been reached thanks to the project Triumph now being on its own two wheels for the first time in, well, ever. Getting the bike off the cradle which was made for it in, I think, 1998, is an important step. There are similarities between then and now – in those days the bike was sharing a workshop where woodwork was being done and so it is in 2019, albeit on a smaller scale. This puts a few restrictions in place as building motorcycles and sawdust producing activities are not always compatible, so a large tarpaulin covers all things motorcycling while there is dust in the air. The majority of my woodwork these days is done by hand rather than machine, so fine dust which chokes vital…

01 Engine The built up crankshaft had a roller big end and was supported on ball and plain main bearings. It offered an 80mm stroke, moving a 63mm piston in a one-piece cast iron barrel and head assembly with a 4.8:1 compression ratio. The vertically-split crankcase included the magneto location on the timing side casting, at the front of the engine. Gears drove cams and magneto and also operated a mechanical oil pump. An auxiliary hand pump was mounted on the tank. Occasional use of the pump was advised when the engine was subject to hard use. The two side valves had open springs, the inlet controlling the mixture from the Amac carburettor. Power output of ‘2.49hp’ was for tax purposes, but a remarkably frugal 120mpg fuel consumption was reported.…

The unusual aspect of the report carried in the June 27, 1935, edition of The Motor Cycle on a European escapade, was that it was recounted not by the rider, but the lady pillion – ‘Adventures of a Fair Passenger on a Fortnight’s Tour of the Continent’ with the byline crediting ‘Ann’ was how the feature was presented. In the first paragraph, Ann describes how her husband and she had become tired of touring in the UK and so, despite protestations from the family, decided to embark on a European tour – the only problem to their ambition being that they only had two weeks of annual leave to use. So, with “the formalities arranged through a road organisation” soon “an ambitious route” was planned and the game was on.…

NMM raffle winner Bristol celebrates its 40th To be held over the weekend of February 1/2, the 2020 Carole Nash Bristol Classic MotorCycle show will be the 40th such event. To mark this milestone, organisers are turning the clocks back to the 1970s and 80s with a special themed birthday celebration. Visitors, traders and club members alike are encouraged to enter into the spirit of the celebration. There’s a prize of £100 per day for the best dressed visitor, and a £1000 cash prize for the best club stand. The first 1000 people who purchase tickets in advance will be given one free party bag per transaction, complete with an assortment of products and offers. Discounted advance tickets are now on sale, with a one-day adult pass costing £11. Tickets…

The Italian job With reference to the article in The Classic MotorCycle, December 2019, on the Moto Guzzi Nuovo Falcone, I would like to inform you that your regular reporting on classic Italian bikes had an influence on my latest decision to purchase a 1979 Moto Morini 3½ Strada. As a long-time subscriber to your magazine, I am always very pleased to receive the new issue by post here in Germany. My motorcycle purchases of the past have been influenced by your reports about the classic bike scene – my motorcycle career: 1995 Yamaha SR500, 1975 Puch MS50V, 1931 Triumph KV200 from Triumph Werke Nurnberg and now, finally, Franco Lambertini’s masterpiece – the 350cc V-twin Moto Morini 3½ Strada from 1979. The diversity and enthusiasm of your magazine is unique.…

To forestall any snide comments, I’ll admit straightaway that my James Superlux autocycle is neither particularly super, nor in the least luxurious. It’s just a typical example of a breed which flowered for a couple of decades after the mid-1930s, and then disappeared almost without trace. The reasons for its rise and fall are inextricably tied up with national and personal economics; with its genesis in the austerity following the Great Depression, while its predictable end was brought about by increased postwar wealth enabling people to opt for more sophisticated two-wheelers or cars. It all started with the 1931 Budget which reduced two-wheelers’ road tax to 15 shillings (75 pence) if their capacity was under 150cc. Villiers immediately responded with the 98cc Midget engine, but it was a fairly dated…

Camping by the wayside in Egypt’s Sahara Desert, with their food and water all gone, Angus and Margaret were up before the sun at 4.30am. Thankfully, the next village lay a mere two miles further on, and as Margaret wrote in her diary: “There we drank (and the amount we drank would have been sufficient for several days in England), filled our water bottles and set forth. “Egypt is no fit place to take a motorcycle combination,” she decided. “And yet, apart from a fifth break to the sidecar chassis, a puncture, and slight overheating when the shade temperature varied between 110˚F and 120˚F, it gave no trouble and its performance was commendable.” This was due in large part to Angus’s mechanical skills, which involved not only regular oil changes…

How many clubs have started up following a chance remark made during a conversation? Likely to be a few I would imagine, and it was just the case with the Greeves Riders’ Association in 1984. In such things as a club interview, it is generally down to one volunteer to pass on and check the information – often the volunteer doesn’t realise they’ve been nominated, so thanks have to go to Colin Sparrow for not backing off when others volunteered him… The chance remark which started the club came to Peter Smith when he was talking to the former Greeves competition manager Chris Goodfellow a few years after the factory closed. It hadn’t taken long for the Greeves spares situation to become critical and for a loose network of enthusiasts…

JA Prestwich and Co. Ltd, Northumberland Park, Tottenham, announced it was entering the two-stroke proprietary engine market in August 1923, launching a 147cc (55x62mm) three-port deflector piston engine. In a move some stated was ‘…to distance themselves from such basic engines,’ JAP branded this unit the ‘AZA’ or ‘Aza,’ depending on your research source. The whys and wherefores of the brand AZA, or its use, are lost in time, but what is certain is JAP established The AZA Motor Co., Capel House, 62 Broad Street, London EC2, to market these engines and handle after sales enquires. Within months, JAP enlarged this engine to 175cc (173cc) and although selling only a fraction of Villiers output, in the mid-1920s AZAs were supplied to a number of British makers, including New Comet, Coventry…