Innholdsfortegnelse for August 2020 i The Classic MotorCycle

Beaulieu Autojumble, some 25-years ago, and Jaguar XK rare parts specialist Tom Kent was prowling the stalls on the lookout for something different. He’d had a love affair for British bikes for as long as he could remember and always thought that a Triumph would be the perfect stablemate for his 1955 Jaguar XK140 open two-seater. But which one to choose? Tom is about as fussy as they come. Not for him the run-of-the-mill mismatch; it would be something of interest or nothing at all. He had not been in a hurry and had already spent time on fruitless journeys. But this time there was a sniff in the air. His uncanny knack of unearthing bikes and parts that most would just write off as junk, was starting to itch.…

It was May 1990 and there was Pete, on his knees, gazing at the dismantled timing side of his Rapide. We were in a campsite at Schmockwitz, just outside Berlin, five months after the fall of ‘The Wall.’ Pete said: “Now I remember why I sold my last Vincent twin…” How had we ended up there? In May 1989, my wife Kath and I had been on a trip to East Germany on a modern BMW and had a very interesting, if different, time. We had made some good motorcycling friends in the Harz region of East Germany and had great memories of the trip. At the end of that year, the wall came down. A good friend, Pete Lee, a partner at Unity Equipe in Rochdale, had been very…

EDITOR James Robinson Tel 01507 529405 Fax 01507 371066 email jrobinson@mortons.co.uk REGULAR CONTRIBUTORS Tim Britton, Rachael Clegg, Jonathan Hill, Roy Poynting, Richard Rosenthal, Martin Squires, Jerry Thurston, Alan Turner, Phil Turner, Steve Wilson. CONTRIBUTORS IN THIS ISSUE Jim Patten, John Robinson. PRODUCTION EDITOR Sarah Wilkinson ART EDITOR Kelvin Clements PAGE DESIGNERS Tracey Markham, Fran Lovely PUBLISHER Tim Hartley GROUP ADVERTISING MANAGER Sue Keily ADVERTISING Sarah Mitchell-Savage Tel 01507 529418, email smitchell-savage@mortons.co.uk SUBSCRIPTION MANAGER Paul Deacon CIRCULATION MANAGER Steve O’Hara MARKETING MANAGER Charlotte Park COMMERCIAL DIRECTOR Nigel Hole PUBLISHING DIRECTOR Dan Savage EDITORIAL ADDRESS PO Box 99, Horncastle, Lincolnshire LN9 6LZ VISIT OUR WEBSITE www.classicmotorcycle.co.uk GENERAL ENQUIRIES & BACK ISSUES Tel 01507 529529, 24-hour answerphone email help@classicmagazines.co.uk www.classicmagazines.co.uk ARCHIVE ENQUIRIES Jane Skayman jskayman@mortons.co.uk Tel 01507 529423 SUBSCRIPTION Full subscription rates (but…

Although not sporting his familiar, trademark moustache, it clearly is the same Eric Oliver who was to claim the inaugural GP world sidecar racing championship in 1949, a title he added to with further successes in 1951, 1953 and 1954, all on Norton outfits. Indeed, his first win – when 600cc outfits were allowed – was on a prewar example, passengered by the intrepid Denis Jenkinson, who a few years later enjoyed more success, when he partnered Stirling Moss to Mille Miglia victory in their Mercedes. Though he enjoyed his greatest success when he’d switched to three wheels, it was on two Oliver first sought fame and fortune. Born in April 1911, in Crowborough, Sussex, Oliver made his TT debut in 1937, retiring a 500cc Vincent-HRD Comet in the Senior…

Thanks extended I just couldn’t resist dropping you a line in appreciation of The Classic MotorCycle magazine. I am coming up to 84 years old and have been a motor car enthusiast from my youth. I was always interested in motorbikes, but have only ridden one once, though I had a scooter for a short while and have been a club cyclist, racing most of my life. But here I am, enthused with the articles, especially the early 1900 to 1930s bikes. If I had space and money, I would love to buy and ride an old machine. Keep up the good work. Grant Pyke, via email. Sunbeam seeker I’m trying to locate the present owner of KLJ 483, a 1950 S8 Sunbeam. This motorcycle was owned by Bill Spencer…

During the lockdown period, while I’ve been staying and working at my dad’s, we – mainly dad, to be fair – have been on with various projects, but now my brother’s Venom gearbox is working again, the 50cc Morini that we’ve had lurking for years is as far on as it can be, a 125cc V-twin Honda was tidied and moved on, and a 400cc Honda single is now a runner and only awaiting an MoT, the list has diminished. Dad’s own machines are pretty much all up and going these days, while even most of mine actually now work too. So what to do next? Well, over the last couple of years (and more) I’ve been gradually accumulating and collecting Velocette parts, the main goal being to build a…

When I completed my top 10 favourites last month – though ‘memorables’ is perhaps a better word as it’s been pointed out to me that my choices get less practical the further up the list they go – I vowed to include only one motorcycle from our existing family collection. I chose to put in the 1928 AJS K8, a machine which has been in my father’s possession for longer than I’ve been alive and which is still his go-to favourite. A delight to ride, having that wonderful combination of a willing engine and light weight, a motorcycle that brings together those two qualities is well on the way to being a pleasant machine. As I write, we’re still largely in the era of ‘lockdown’ – and the place I’m…

Brands Hatch The circuit was formed in a natural hollow – which some describe as an amphitheatre – in the land near West Kingsdown, Kent, owned by Brands (hence the name) Farm. The site was used for military training then cycle racing/practicing, before hosting its first recorded race in 1926. But no engines were involved, as cyclists and runners competed over a four-mile circuit. Within a few years, motorcyclists began casually racing over the quarter-of-a-mile, rough kidney-shaped course in the bowl, then more structured grasstrack racing was run jointly by the Bermondsey, Owls, Sidcup and West Kingsdown clubs from 1932 until the Second World War. Used for military vehicle storage during the conflict – and consequently subject to bombing raids – much work was needed before grasstrack racing resumed over…

Anyone who has ever thought about assembling a pile of loosely related motorcycle bits into an actual motorcycle, will appreciate certain things are needed for such an enterprise. After more than 40 years of mucking around with motorcycles, I should perhaps know better. Even if unlimited funds were available I’d probably not ship the whole lot off for someone else to do – after all where’s the fun in that? Nor do I have unlimited time as a living has to be earned. Then of course there’s the unlimited bits thing. How many readers remember the breakers’ adverts in the weekly press in the 1970s, with lists of parts from all conceivable British motorcycles? Usually in the back of the classifieds, these block adverts listed, at what now seems to…

01 Engine Aluminium crankcases housed a single bush on the timing side and one ball-journal as the drive-side main. These supported a built up crank assembly with a roller big-end. The 198cc Colt had bore and stroke dimensions of 60mm and 70mm respectively, so both differed from the 63 x 80 of the BSA C11. Within the timing case cover there was a skew drive to the gear-type oil pump and a single camshaft. An extension from the camshaft drove through a seal into an outer housing for the contact breaker mechanism. The camshaft operated levers driving the pushrods that crossed in the tunnel cast in with the iron barrel. An iron cylinder head was topped by rocker assemblies for one inlet, one exhaust valve with a cast aluminium cover.…

Stafford set for a double delight It’s set to be double the value for showgoers this autumn, as thanks to the impact of Covid-19 two huge bike events are set to combine into one great show. The Classic MotorCycle- backed April Stafford show was originally postponed until later in the summer, but now following government advice it has been moved again... and the decision made to combine it with its sister event in October. Nigel Hole, events director at organiser Mortons Media Group said: “The safety and wellbeing of everyone is the most important factor and key reason for postponing. “The show will now be joining forces with its ‘sister’ event in October, which takes place at the Stafford County Showground on Saturday and Sunday, October 10 and 11. “All…

Have you ever ridden a Triumph twin? As you’re reading this magazine, then there’s a fairly high likelihood that the answer to the question might be ‘yes. In many ways, the Triumph twin is the model which defines our movement, its period of production roughly coinciding with our main era of focus and interest. In short, there was always a Triumph twin there (or thereabouts). Whether you’re interested in general riding, club runs, scrambling, racing, trials, touring, straightforward restoration or special building, there’s a fine chance that a Triumph twin – in one of its many forms – has made your acquaintance. Which is the best Triumph twin is almost as big a topic to debate as whether they’re better than the period opposition; but we’re sticking to Triumphs here.…

I’ve had a soft spot for BSA side valve singles for 25 years. I acquired my first one, a 1955 600cc M21, in 1995, from dealer Andy Tiernan. It was extensively rebuilt by Sean Hawker, who formerly ran CMES, the classic electrical specialists. Sean and a friend had ridden their M21s on a 34,000 mile trip through southern Russia, into China, down through India and Malaya and all round Australia, so he knew his side valves. The following year, he and I took a 1500 mile round-trip to a motor show on the Shetland Islands. Sean was riding his expedition bike. Neither of our BSAs missed a beat. Peace of mind When people ask me, or I ask myself, why the obsession and affection for 13 and 15bhp models, which…

It’s one thing to understand the past through its contemporaries, its commentators and even its heroes, it’s quite another to observe a period through the eyes of a 12 year old boy. And thanks to Covid-19 and its infinite restrictions, my attention was turned to a special photographic collection – and one that was very close to home: that of my father, Noel Clegg. As a boy, dad would travel to various racing circuits and trials events with his father, Tom, a motorcycle hobbyist and some-time Clubman’s TT competitor. Whenever Tom could escape from running the family haulage firm, Clegg Transport, he’d be off to inhale Castrol R and shatter his eardrums. And all with his son, Noel, at his side. Granddad was the sort of man who was always…

It is a daunting task to head up a club such as the Vintage Motor Cycle Club (VMCC) and there is no tick-box checklist to find the ideal candidate for the post. If there was, then it probably couldn’t be trusted, as what makes the club better is that all presidents have been different in their outlook. It doesn’t matter if the president is a relative newcomer to the old bike scene or an old stager like Mike Wills (sorry Mike!), enthusiasm and involvement in the club is paramount. Catching up with Mike – by phone because of the pandemic currently changing the way society interacts – the retired urological consultant surgeon chatted a little about his background in motorcycling. “I was never encouraged or discouraged into motorcycling rather it…

Realising a changing market, JAP altered its advertising. Rather than rely on heavily promoting competition successes – as in the past and of which there was still many – the firm changed the slant of adverts week on week, alternating between reliability competition gold medal awards, racing and hill climb victories, record breaking and campaigns extolling the four virtues of JAP engines: “Economy, Efficiency, Reliability and Speed.” Unfortunately a few promotions were, shall we say, ‘inventive’ including the “New Lightweight Engine” announced Christmas 1921. Rather than new, the 293cc engine was a redesign of the existing 293cc unit which was marketed first before the First World War. During May 1922, the factory announced a new* dohc 344cc engine with detachable iron cylinder head and huge, 1¾in exhaust valve set to…