Innholdsfortegnelse for October 2020 i The Classic MotorCycle

Though degrees of normality are slowly returning, it's all still far from normal out there in the world, so we continue on as before - trying to do the best we can, with what's available. We're now slowly getting to a place where we can start to be out and about; Gary Chapman and I did our first 'non family' photoshoot a couple of weeks ago - you'll see some of the pictures in this issue (Moto Guzzi Model P) while another feature on the next month page. We're still living a hand-to-mouth existence; generally, by this time of the season, our cupboards would be fit to burst with 'stock' to see us through winter, but we've yet to be able to get to such a place, though, hopefully and…

Many years ago, when I was a teenager, I remember seeing an article in one of the magazines - I think it must have been by our colleagues at Classic Bike; August 1996 I believe - about a TriBSA, a proper DBD-looking Gold Star (or Rocket Gold Star) fitted with a Triumph Bonneville engine. The impression it left on me was indelible; though I can't remember the year or details, I do just clearly remember it, as well as a quote from the owner along the lines of: "People tell me what's wrong with it, as a Goldie, without noticing it has a Triumph engine in it ... " which always amused me. That used to come back to me years later when we had a Rocket Gold Star. We…

In April 2018, I bought the 250cc Model P Moto Guzzi, registration 625XUC. It was a pretty bike that had all of the right stuff on it and the marque had interested me for a long time. Initial inspection of my new acquisition revealed the spark to be weak, but with careful cleaning of the points, slip ring and narrowing of the plug gap, it proved possible to get the engine running for a short while. I am neither surprised nor particularly disappointed when I find the magneto on a newly acquired motorcycle to be poor. In my experience, a proper overhaul at the outset prevents myriad problems later. I take a similar view of the dynamo and on this engine both the magneto and dynamo needed quite a bit…

Sitting having its picture taken on the edge of a village often used for TV productions such as Midsomer Murders, the 350cc Sanglas did not look out of place. In fact, one dog-walking resident mistook the Spanish machine for a Matchless single of the same 1959 vintage as he used to own. The Sanglas may have started life a few thousand miles away, but it looked very much at home in the quintessential English village, complete with stately home. Spanish by birth yes, but it was actually inspired by the engineering standards set by German manufacturers DKW, BMW and Zundapp, as an alternative to these firms as transport for official Spanish bodies. The history of Sanglas began in 1942, three years after the Spanish Civil War ended, the firm being…

The jokes Might as well get these out of the way first and, having heard them all hundreds if not thousands of times during half a century with my OEC, they wear a bit thin ... OEC - publicity material informs the Osborn Engineering Company Ltd was established in 1915 (more of that later) and the fact that they were a hive of unorthodox ideas gives rise to OEC apparently being an acronym for 'Odd Engineering Company' or 'Oddly Engineering Contraptions' and anything else that comes to mind. This apparent 'humour' is a small price considering for some years the maker used the slogan 'OEC - The Modem Motor Cycle: Continuing: "Duplex steering all sprung chassis practically eliminates 90 percent of road risks and guarantees a degree of comfort absolutely…

Sunbeam star George Dance was the top performer in the 1927 Victory Trial, beating a high-class field of riders on a mixed bag of machinery - ranging from H Harper's budget hybrid, comprising of a 250cc BSA with a 350cc Blackburne engine levered in, through to T Morton on his SSlOO Brough Superior. Bert le Vack, George Rowley, Graham Walker, Bert Perrey, Tommy Meeten, Jimmy Simpson, Jack Amott, Harold Willis, Marjorie Cottle, Peter Bradley, Tommy Bullus, Bert Perrigo, Freddie Edmond, Bert Kershaw, Ernie Nott, Len Crisp - all of them and many more were among the entry. It was top class. The Victory Cup for best performance though, was won by Mr Dance, the Sunbeam employee and all-round competition star. There's no explanation of which model Dance used, just its…

The Model P story starts in 1932, with the Pl 75, soon enlarged in capacity (after a change in taxation classes), resulting in the Model P (or P250) of 1934. The spring framed variant was the Model PE, plus there was the sporty PES. All had three-speed gearboxes . There was the cut-price PL in 1937 with rigid frame and pressed forks, which led to the cheapest motorcycle in Moto Guzzi's range, the Ardetta, in 1939. That same year the PE gained a four-speed gearbox and a new name - the Airone (Heron). The Airone, as shown above, was to be made until 1957, the best-selling machine in its category.…

For Cecil Sandford, being in the family car on a particular Sunday as their route home took them past a club scramble and they decided to stay and watch, was a chance happening that changed his life. Says Cecil: "I was only a young lad, full of the bravado of youth, and when I saw the competitors on track, I announced I could do as well, if not better than them:' There's not a competitor in the world that hasn't said just such a thing, but in Cecil's case it turned out he actually could. It set him on the road to becoming the first world road racing champion for the legendary Italian marque MV Agusta. At the time of his first exposure to scrambling, in the 1940s, Cecil's daily…

THE SPECIALISTS While there's no specific club for James owners, there is a wealth of information online. Kevin Holden maintains a site for James resources. Among much other wisdom, a link to a site run by the Abrahams family accesses specifications of all postwar James models. A James Face book group offers advice from those who know, and help in tracking down parts. Villiers Services provides a one-stop shop for everything that came from the Wolverhampton factory . • Kevin Holden's website: James-motorcycles .corn/resources/ • Facebook: James Motorcycles Public Group • Villiers Services: 01384 265797; villiersservices.co.uk MODEL HISTORY Although one of Britain's longest-established manufacturers, by the 1930s James determined its future was safest with a range of utility motorcycles. Villiers' wide range of cheap, off-the-shelf power units offered a dependable…

Benellis top the Bonhatns bill Two exquisite grand prix 250cc Benellis were top of the huge Bonhams' 'live and online' summer sale, held behind closed doors from August 14-16. Top price was the £149,500 1964 four (right), used by Tarquinio Provini, to win that year's Spanish GP. It had an interesting history, being built up from reunited parts, its engine having at one point being used in a road bike by a member of the Benelli family.The four cylinder racers were finished in grey; the suggestion was they were 'to be as fast as a cannonball; hence the colour. The more traditionally finished all red 1950 machine (below), as used by Dario Ambrosini to win the world championship, sold for £138,000, while a third Benelli - one of four 1959…

The friendly man from UPS delivers our tyres - he has bikes of his own , and always stays for a chat; I think this is the third (or fourth) time we've seen him this period. He now asks what bike the tyre is for; three out of four times ( or more actually) the answer has been 'Velocette' - and so was the case again this tim e. I already had a new 3.50 x 19in Avon SM rear tyre, so added a Speedmast er ribbed 3.25 x 19in for the front . Some people - and I think Velocette specified - use a 3.25 front and rear, but we've always used a 3.50 on the back of the swinging arm 350 and 500cc Velos, and so will be…

Peter Hall, who now works as a mechanic for Scania, was once a weekend warrior. As a Territorial Army man in the late 1970s, Peter served part-time with the Royal Corps of Transport, as part of the TA's appeal was that as well as military training, you could carry on your trade with the Forces. There was also some foreign travel. Peter spent time in Germany on NATO exercises for short periods. There he drove three ton ML and MK trucks, Series Land Rovers - and being a motorcyclist, occasionally was used as a DR, on BSA WD B40 350s. One afternoon he was given a message to take to a senior officer at another BAOR unit relatively nearby. The weather was mild, so he jumped aboard in just his…

Building a bike out of a pile of bits and acquiring other parts for next to nothing just to prove a point isn't the most sensible thing in the world to attempt... then again, ifwe were sensible we'd pop down to the local motorcycle shop and buy something which starts at the push of a button. However, there is often a desire or perhaps a curiosity to see if something is possible, not because it's a good idea, but just to prove a point . The world of classic motorcycles has changed since those far off days of 1977 when I - apprentice carpenter and joiner - decided life with only a Bultaco trials bike was lacking something ... that 'something' was an old Brit bike. In those days they…

On a cold winter day, in November 1898, a man was riding a motor bicycle on Fifth Avenue, New York. This may seem like a bland statement today, but in the Big Apple of then, the fastest way to travel was by bicycle or horse and cart; motorised transport was never seen. On seeing this unusual contraption travelling at a fast pace, a policeman tried to stop the rider, but had to give chase. On seeing the policeman, the motor cyclist "supposed the policeman wanted a race, and putting on about 25 miles speed, left the policeman behind at once: · Unable to keep up, the lawman tracked the felon to his hotel where he was arrested; the machine was confiscated though the suspect released. The 'criminal's' name was Henri…

JAP continued to enjoy mid-1920s Brooklands, IoM and other racing successes, despite the emergence of equally fast rival engines. JAP's ohv 344cc single powered Ken Twemlow to 1924 Junior TT victory and three of the next four finishers, including future Velocette rider and designer Harold Willis (Montgomery-JAP), who finished fifth on his TT debut. In addition to the previously mentioned 'new' 298cc side-valve engine, JAP, using the same crankcase with 250cc barrel, created another 'new' engine in autumn 1924, later available as small and big fin side-valve models and an ohv version. Similarly, JAP arguably reworked ( though some claim a complete redesign) the 80 x 99mm long-stroke J series (80 x 99mm = 498cc single and 996cc V-twin) giving the near square 85.5 x 85mm 976cc K series. Initially,…