Innholdsfortegnelse for June 2020 i The Classic MotorCycle

The H&H motorcycle sale, which took place behind closed doors on April 7, 2020, as an online live auction, dispatched 129 lots for a total of £900,000 - a 67% sell rate. Five ofthe top seven bikes sold were Vincents. Mark Bryan, head of motorcycle sales for H&H, said: "Given the context - a global pandemic - this is a remarkable result which speaks so clearly of the passion collectors have for motorcycles and the trust they have in H&H. People were buying bikes they had not seen and without knowing precisely when they could take delivery:' Fifth (behind four Vincents) in the 'top price' list was a 1930 Norton CSl, which fetched £27,600, all of the funds from the sale of which will go towards the purchase of the…

Motorcycle sport has recently lost three of its champions from a golden age of motorcycle racing - legendary road racer and five-times world champion Geoff Duke; Les Archer, the first-ever European (nowadays world) motocross champion and now, sadly, Colin Seeley, the world-class sidecar racer and manufacturer. The VMCC's Dorset Section were proud to host this club night (2017) when Colin was their guest speaker, with Mike Jackson as chairman, reliving the experiences of his amazingly varied career. Pictured on that memorable occasion are, from left to right, great all-rounder and multi-sidecar enduro champion George Greenland; secretary Jonathan Hill; Colin Seeley; motocross legend and Metisse manufacturer Derek Rickman; Honda's former European CEO Gerald Davison; former Norton Villiers Europe sales director Mike Jackson and BSA development engineer Mike Martin, brother of BSA…

Whether it's true or not, there's a tale that Philip Vincent (PCV) reckoned the Series A single was the 'best' of all the machines his eponymous company made over the years. Now, whether it's mythology or truth, who really knows, but the phrase can lead to some interesting debate, especially about time and context. If one puts the Series A single - so that was the base-model Meteor, the sportier Comet, the racer TT Replica, plus odd models such as the Comet Special, a sort of 'half-way house' between TT Rep and Comet - into the context of its time, then it really does have some claim on being the best. So what was its opposition at the time of its 1935 launch? Models like Rudge's Ulster and Special offered…

Just as the British summer weather starts fading away in late September, classic motorcyclists - in 2019 at least - have the option just a ferry ride away for up to another three continuous weeks of sunny riding, through the magnificent scenery of northern Spain. Starting in the last week of September, the area hosts three consecutive classic motorcycle rallies, ranging from big (with 500-plus bikes) to smaller and more intimate, with plenty on offer to suit all riders. First is the MC Piston Rally held during the last week of September, and which in 2020 will be in its 33rd year. Based in Santander and the nearby Picas Europa Mountains, the MC Piston is a very large and long established rally well attended by classic enthusiasts from throughout Europe.…

The story goes, the reason that the motorcycle makers 'AJS' was so-called, was that of the four founding brothers, only one had a middle name. And so, named after Albert John Stevens, AJS came into being. The man behind the name, born 1885, was known as Jack, while his three fellow directors of the fledgling company were Harry (born 1876), George (1878) and Joseph (1881). They were all the sons ofJoseph Stevens, born just outside Wolverhampton, who, by the mid-1870s, was a self-employed engineering blacksmith with a burgeoning reputation as the man to go to with any manufacturing needs, be it tools, bicycles or reshoeing horses. Joe senior and his wife Sarah Ann (nee Preston) were to have a total of nine children, with another boy William ('Billie') born in…

Since the first JAP engines, John Prestwich had hugely furthered engine designs, yet his restless mind retained the capacity for ever more development work. And many imply AE Bowyer-Lowe -who'd joined JAP as a 17-year-old in 1903-had not only become an able accomplice, but also was a superb race-engine builder. Prestwich's 'further work' included cyclecar development cl912/13, with JAP building at least two complete prototypes, the latter serving over a large mileage as his wartime transport. Some suggest JAP would have started a cyclecar production line had not the war intervened, though evidence of this is sketchy. By autumn 1912, over 20 cyclecar and three-wheeler makers employed JAP motorcycle engines for some or all of their production, including Morgan, Arden, Sabella, Whippet and Invicta. Overseas makers were also using JAP…

This shiny Norton is the transport of Bill Travers and Ava Gardner, on the set of the 1956 film Bhowani Junction, a 154-minute epic filmed on location in Pakistan, directed by New Yorker George Cukor, who was to go on to win the Academy Award for best director for 1964's My Fair Lady. Cukor, famously, was also fired as director of 1939's Gone With the Wind, at the request ofleading man Clark Gable. Bhowani Junction was set in India during 1947, during the last days of the British rule, with Gardner cast as Victoria Jones, daughter of an Indian mother and a British train engineer father. Travers - here riding the Norton - is Patrick Taylor, fellow Anglo-Indian and childhood sweetheart of Jones, still in love with her. Then there's…

Road racing legend and multiple TT winner Tony Rutter passed away on March 24, 2020. Seven times a TT winner between 1973 and 1985, he was also a multiple British championship winner and GP racer. His son Michael, himself a successful racer, reflected: "It makes me smile how dad lived his life exactly how he wanted to and how he got away with so much. "He will probably be best remembered for winning the world TT-F2 championship four times on a Ducati, as well as seven Isle of Man TT wins, nine North West 200 wins, and two British championships. ''I'd like to say a big thank you to his carers for taking such good care of him, and to all his fans and supporters:'…

The Harley-Davidson VL feature 'If at First' (March 2020), I found very interesting as it seems Harley carry on in the same vein; I will explain. It was 2007 when I purchased a new Harley Softail Custom - being a retired mechanical/ electronics development engineer, I like to research my bikes. I soon realised that Harley's'Twin Cam' motor also suffers in the crankshaft area. This is flywheel runout, which can result in scissoring at the crankpin. This is the reason the cams are chain driven, which, incidentally, leads to chain tensioner wear at relatively low mileage, and eventually ovaling of the inner cam bearing surface. Imagine gear driving the cams in these circumstances - the varying depth of mesh would be interesting. These engines incorporate a balance mechanism to overcome…

My childhood obsession was Vincents, and in particular the single cylinder ones; Comets and Grey Flashes mainly, but Meteors as well (I know off the top of my head their standard specification didn't include the front prop stands, for example ... ). In particular my thing was Series C Comets; mainly as dad had one and I just thought it looked great. He always had a love/hate relationship with it (he's a Velo fellow at heart) but it was at our house for 20 odd years, and I was disappointed when it went; sold to my cousin actually, though it's subsequently changed hands once or twice and I was offered it at one point - alas, funds wouldn't allow it. I acquired my own 'C' in November 2007; of all…

Alex Taylor has a gift for finding unusually original classic tow-wheelers. The retired Oxfordshire garage owner then makes them gloriously patinated, their finishes telling the stories of long road lives. This was recognised by the 2018 Most Original award at Stafford show for his Royal Enfield Model G (see TCM, December 2017), and several of his other machines have appeared in these pages. But with the 1950 D1 Bantam featured here, it's personal. For as with many riders of a certain age, a 125cc Bantam, from that year, had been among his first motorbikes, and the one he really cut his riding teeth on. Early doors "My very first bike, at 16 in 1968:' Alex told me, "had been a 250cc Royal Enfield, but the gearbox was unreliable. Dad was…

Arguably there are several components on motorcycles which come under the category of 'important but ignored' and I bet you're mentally naming them right now. Drive chains are one such bit which often are ignored until they barely go round and are brown with rust, their matching sprockets too can be left until they resemble discs of metal maybe with a bump here and there, as the machine's owner wonders why performance has suffered and likely needs a hot cam or a cereal packet under the barrel to restore performance ... You may be shaking your head at this but friends who work in motorcycle shops have shown me such examples. Electrics, too, are often ignored until things go wrong, where simple servicing would have saved any grief. But by…

Owing to the ever-changing nature of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, there's another date change for the 'April' Stafford show, with the new date being August 15/16. "Following the recent announcements from the UK Government, Mortons Events has had to postpone the 40th Carole Nash Classic Motorcycle Show which was due to be held on April 25/26. "The safety and well-being of our visitors, exhibitors, partners, contractors and staff is the most important factor and the key reason for postponing the event. The events team have been continually monitoring the latest public health and Government guidelines regarding the evolving Covid-19 situation and acting in accordance with their advice. "We have secured new dates for the show at the Stafford County Showground which will now take place on Saturday, August 15 and…

Believed to be one of the first Series A Rapides manufactured and potentially the last Vincent-HRD motorcycle to leave the factory in 1959, DUR 142 was used as a factory demonstrator, Vincent directors' mount and road test star. The machine will be offered for sale at Bonhams' Summer Stafford Sale, on August 15/16, 2020, alongside the 40th International Classic Motorcycle Show. Announced in 1936, and with a top speed of 110mph, the Series A Rapide was the fastest production vehicle when launched. Only 78 examples were manufactured, and approximately 50 are believed to survive. DUR 142 was retained by the factory as a demonstrator and for promotional purposes. Accordingly, it was loaned to Motor Cycling in April 1938. The machine was taken to Brooklands for speed tests and timed at…

Due to Covid-19, the Motogiro d'Italia has been moved from its usual late spring date to the autumn, by which time it is hoped travel and social restrictions will be eased worldwide. Although Italy has been particularly badly affected by the virus, it also benefits from hot, dry summers, which, it is believed will help to eradicate it in that country. Still, with many participants in the vulnerable age category, maintaining general health during the event becomes a new priority and so the organisers are working with all relevant public bodies to ensure that appropriate measures are put in place where necessary. To provide an extra level of reassurance, registrations for the rescheduled Motogiro d'Italia 2020 can now be made without the need for prepayment. Registration fees will be requested…

Two items in recent copies of The Classic MotorCycle have prompted me to drop you a line; one is the article about the Harley- Davidson VL published in April 2020 and the second your request in the May edition for a bit of sunshine. My father bought a new Harley-Davidson 1290cc Model 80 direct from Harley-Davidson Motor Co Ltd, London, Wl on September 5, 1938, for £140-0-0. (£140.00) plus £19-6-0 (£19.30) for a couple of extras, a reconditioned sidecar and registration. A short time later, it was road tested by Mr A Menhinick of Motor Cycling and a report was printed in the November 30, 1938, edition of the magazine. My father, seen in the sidecar, kept a copy and I've attached the article in full. I've found signed correspondence…

That I've been fortunate to ride manyVincents I'm particularly glad, while the model I've ridden the most is unquestionably the C Comet - in several different guises from standard, to lightly modified, to highly modified 'Flash' replica. All have, I think, the same thing in common, which is a tendency to 'drop' (or flop) into corners, as mentioned elsewhere in this feature. It's a strange sensation and quite possibly totally imagined, and certainly not as pronounced as on a twin, but it's there all the same. The fact that it didn't feel like it was happening on the B Meteor leads to the conclusion is it the front fork? Without measuring them and weighing them, it's impossible to ascertain. And quite possibly it's 'all in the head' anyway. So was…

If you happened to pick up a copy of The Motor Cycle or Motor Cycling from the end of the 1959 trials season, you would see that down in the Southern centre, George Greenland had scooped that year's trials championship. Amazingly, 61 years on that same rider is still winning awards in trials and at 87 years of age must surely be the oldest active mud-plugger in the world. Usually mounted on a Wasp-framed BSA Bantam, George is out most weekends in both the UK and on the near-continent, cleaning sections that would defeat many riders half his age. So George, how did it all begin? "There was no background to motorcycling in our home and my father never owned a car or a bike. I started working at 14…

THE SPECIALIST Mike Pemberton, through his 'Pushrod Performance' business, has achieved an enviable reputation specialising in Nortons. He has focused on the singles, principally the pushrod models, maintaining, repairing or restoring them, as well as knowing how to make them go considerably quicker. Now in semi-retirement, Mike was still ready to oversee this restoration guide for which our thanks are duly offered. ■ Pushrod Performance: 01257 471014; www.pushrod-performance.co.uk MODEL HISTORY By the outbreak of the Second World War, Norton's sole focus was on building huge numbers ofWD 16H bikes for the military. After the conflict, the 16H continued, back in civilian clothes once again. Other manufacturers had used the hiatus caused by the conflict to come up with fresh designs, but Norton had nothing in the pipeline. Between the wars,…