Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue 52 Autumn 2019 i Classic Dirt Bike

❝Apparently we display psychopathic tendencies… Now I admit I get a bit antsy if things don’t go right in the workshop or when I miss a flag in a section and there is a certain amount of steering-wheel gripping as cars flash by at an undreamed of 60mph while a van-driver like me crawls along at 50mph, but psychopathic? Surely not!❞ There we were thundering up the road in the van and heading for Aviemore, but as we were in a van and not on a motorway, our thunder was a slightly muted 50mph – been on the course, got the certificate – when the news kicked in over the radio. You know what it’s like, the radio is on in the background and you’re not really paying attention to…

After the success of the inaugural Bultaco Day Basingstoke, hosted by Bultaco Club UK at Mike Fisher’s farm near Basingstoke, the organisers are intending to twin the event with Bultaco Day Bassella in Spain for future years. The weather played fair with the organisers for this year’s event on June 30, and quite a number of club members took advantage and camped over on Saturday evening ready for Sunday. For a newly formed one-make club, attracting a line-up of 50 or so Bultacos is an impressive first event. Though heavily biased to the off-road scene in the UK it should not be forgotten Bultaco have a considerable race and road heritage too. It is the club’s aim to enhance the Bultaco experience out there and encourage all aspects of ‘Bultaconess’…

A shameless plug for the editor’s own club now... Castleside Motor Club organised a two-day trial in the County Durham countryside near Edmundbyers. Using land not previously available, the Baa Classic attracted a decent number of riders. Restricted to twinshock and classics by request of the land owner the trial was backed by the Baa Pub in Edmundbyers and Audit Engineering at Sacriston, riding numbers provided by CDB. Day one started at the Baa in the village and was a gentle introduction to the area for those not familiar with it. Day two had a start area outside the village and a much bigger course. With excellent feedback from all riders, it is expected the event will go on to become a regular fixture in the scene and attract two-day…

In the world of performance engines, John Alfred Prestwich sort of cornered the market early on, right at the dawn of these new-fangled internal combustion engine things people were fitting into bicycle frames. JAP did produce a motorcycle themselves for three or four years but rapidly realised their forte lay in supplying engines to others. Being based in London rather than the Midlands kept them remarkably independent of the two wheel industry and their diversity into producing engines for cars, aeroplanes and the utility market meant they were not dependent on any one industry. A seemingly unconnected event at High Beech, London in 1927 when the UK was shown this new dirt track sport – soon to be speedway – from Australia led to JAP becoming the engine of choice…

If your business is based on a particular model of motorcycle to the exclusion of all others, then there are a number of ways one can promote one’s core activities. The first is to get out there on the track and show just what your stuff can do, the other to have a superb showroom model available with as much new old stock as possible used in the build and add the bits your business makes for the model. Chris Lewis at Elsinore ’74 has used both these routes and when we did Kris Winder’s championship bike as a feature last year, Chris brought his NOS Elsinore and his own race bike along. Being a quarterly means CDB often takes a little longer to get bikes in the magazine, but…

Jerry’s Jumbo Jerry’s rolled up his sleeves and is pushing on to reach rolling frame stage with the SWM and so far he’s more than pleased with the results. Over the last few weeks, as I have continued with the SWM restoration, my mood has swung from cripes what-have-I-done when I find yet another problem, to ridiculous optimism when I work out how to solve it. Of most concern was the holed primary chain case and the fact that it was a thin casting was bad enough, but it being made of magnesium only made matters worse. I thought it was scrap but J&S Engineering of Colwyn Bay obviously thought differently. I sent them pictures and expected them to tell me the bad news, but no. They said send it…

There is little doubt that Galloway MCC’s Classic Grand National Scramble of Scotland, held on May 16-19 this year, is a popular addition to the racing calendar. With all sorts of classes for all sorts of racers, the track is laid out in view of the magnificent Drumlanrig Castle. Using the combined knowledge of the club members’ scrambles experience, a track of a decent length was laid out with enough variation to test the mettle of the assembled riders. Classes ranged from twinshocks to classics with pre-78s, over 50s, under 50s, pre-75s and even team races which kept the spectators’ interest up at all times. The weather was interesting at times but did it dampen the enthusiasm from all at the track? No it didn’t. Nor did it affect the…

Though nominally a world championship contest since 1957, the 500cc international MX series was primarily contested in Europe until 1973. The Carlsbad circuit in the USA gained a round and the contest went to another continent. Once the American riders got the idea of MX racing, things stepped up another level and the spectacle of racing was instantly colourful, or should we say ‘colorful’. Not that there was any shortage of US riders in the competition in its early years, it’s just the logistics got a little easier. It still meant a big commitment for US riders of course and Honda team man Gary Semics was away for so long during the 1982 season his folks made the trip to the Canada GP in July to see him – and…

With a new venue for 2019, The International Dirt Bike Show, to be held on September 28/29, is focussing on the best of modern dirt biking. Lining up alongside big names in the off-road world, such as Yamaha and Talon Engineering, wheel builder and exporter Central Wheel Components has put its might behind the International Dirt Bike Show as it heads to the massive Stafford County Showground, booking more space at the event than ever before. Long considered the UK’s leading wheel builder, Central Wheel Components will be exhibiting its SM Pro Wheel range at the IDBS 2019 and has chosen Europe’s largest off-road show to showcase and launch brand-new products to the off-road world. The show has long been the place to see the latest of MX and post-race…

With only one more issue of CDB to go before the 2020 Classic Dirt Bike Show at the Telford International Centre on February 15/16, we can tell you the hot news is that 1979 world trials champion Bernie Schreiber is to be guest of honour. Schreiber, long away from the motorcycle world has had his interest in the sport he was world champion in reawakened over the past couple of years. Here at CDB we have featured him in a few issues and the likeable Californian is sure to be a popular guest star. Speaking to him about the show Bernie told us: “I was pleased to be asked and happy to agree to being a guest and I’m looking forward to meeting trials enthusiasts of all eras and experiencing…

Dave Thorpe, Yorkshire born and bred and forged in Sheffield, has a dry sense of humour, very dry in fact and I was caught by it on the day. As we chatted Dave casually mentioned: “I were going to be a world champ motocrosser y’know…” Knowing riders from his era often competed in many disciplines, I replied: “Oh, that’s interesting to know,” and scribbled it down. Dan Thorpe is less practised at keeping a straight face and the penny dropped, the ‘other’ Dave Thorpe – who was world MX champ – is occasionally confused with trials riding Thorpe. Anyway, Dave’s career has included world trials wins when he joined Bultaco after a spell with OSSA. “The win, all the better for being on a standard production bike, must have done…

Everyone knew the big bikes would always be there; everyone knew the MX scene, the bigger classes, were the domain of big singles, as only they had the power to deal with the courses. Then the Sixties happened, smaller bikes got reliable, then got reliable power and yes, the big bikes were still there, but the European scene was showing that the smaller bikes, these ring-a-ding two strokes, were taking over. Belgian Joel Robert was dominating the scene in the 250 class, on a CZ of all things – cue gasps from the establishment – and his efforts to do the same in the 500 class were hampered by the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM) who introduced a 300cc minimum for the bigger class… “…to prevent incidents of the smaller,…

Chris Lewis, proprietor of Elsinore ’74 the pre-74 Honda Elsinore specialist, came into motorcycle sport via the field bike scene. “When I was a kid we had all sorts of ridiculous stripped down bikes that we blatted around the fields but it wasn’t until I started spannering for Andy and Chris Storey that I got a chance to race. I started on a 125, then moved up to a 250, which was better for me and, as I was a mechanic I looked after my own machines and started buying spares, restoring bikes and trading bikes. When the Storeys wanted to get out of racing I bought their stock and ended up with so much stuff that I had to do something with it all, hence the Elsinore ’74.”…

An evening with the stars and guests compered by Robin Luscombe was the attraction on Friday evening at the Stonecross Manor hotel in Kendal. An excellent meal was followed by entertainment in the form of Robin’s interviews and a charity auction. A packed dining room responded magnificently as Lusky teased pound after pound out of the audience. They listened intently as tales were told of Bultaco exploits from the works and factory riders present and they applauded as Bernie Schreiber told of his time with the factory and beyond. Afterwards there was a chance to chat and interact with trials riders of all abilities, though naturally the Bultaco team members were popular.…

Once upon a time, in order to go racing a motorcycle had to be created and the factories – we’re talking about the British ones here – were so busy churning out road bikes for export they had little time for the competition stuff, even though it brought kudos to their door and gave the marketing team something to shout about. The comp products were little different from the roadsters anyway and the enterprising youngster could create something and go off to his local club’s scramble and have a lot of fun. Yes, there were a few proper scramblers out there, BSA’s Gold Star for instance, and you could buy one, but for a lot of lads that was unobtainable. Luckily for the racer, BSA’s A7 and A10 and later…

The dates have been finalised for the 2020 Classic Grand National Scramble of Scotland, to be held at the classiest venue for a classic scramble you’ll ever see – beautiful Drumlanrig Castle. Organised successfully by the Galloway Motor Cycle Club for three years running, the dates for next year's event are June 18/21. With the scramble being held on June 20/21, there are also many other events planned too – from a trial to a road run, a grasstrack – all of which make for four days of thrilling action not to be missed. There will be plenty of camping available, with all the facilities required. As it’s early days yet a guest of honour hasn’t yet been finalised, but as soon as we receive any more information we'll make…

An event CDB has been to many times is the Jersey Classic and Modern Two day Trial on the beautiful island of Jersey. Organiser Graham Du Feu has given us the dates for next year’s trial, March 21/22, 2020 so add those dates to your diary. From September 1 the website www.Ji2d.com will be open and entries accepted. If you’re looking at a map and thinking ‘hold on, Jersey isn’t all that big, how can they manage a two day trial there?’ The answer is very well and there will be three long laps each day, with a variety of terrain from rocky streams to muddy banks, as the course works its way around the island. With a variety of classes from classic to modern there will be something for…

Building a motorcycle which will be used by a former world champion, not just ridden for display purposes but used in a proper trial, is a daunting prospect. After all, your workmanship will be under the most intense scrutiny as all eyes will be on the VIP guest and his bike. This was the situation facing MotoSWM proprietor Martin Mathews when the Inverness and District Motorcycle Club invited Bernie Schreiber to be guest of honour at their Highland Classic Two Day Trial. Titled Edition SWM, it was to celebrate both the marque and Bernie winning the SSDT on an SWM in 1982. Martin was asked if he could provide a couple of SWMs for Bernie and Gilles Burgat to use in the trial. In the end Gilles couldn’t make the…

Being allowed to organise a trial with decent sections on a fabulous estate is one of the benefits enjoyed by the Inverness and District Motor Cycle Club, thanks to the far-sighted laird of the Alvie Estate. It seems there are benefits to the ground by allowing trials bikes to ride over it now and again. Naturally the club work closely with the estate to ensure the course is plotted correctly and a testing trial is the result and a few years ago the idea of having a theme for each event was embraced. This year the Italian marque SWM was celebrated and Bernie Schreiber – winner of the 1982 SSDT on an SWM – was invited to be guest of honour. It was hoped Frenchman Gilles Burgat, also an SSDT…

The first Rickman Enthusiasts’ Day meet-up was held at the Sammy Miller Museum on June 23 to celebrate the achievements of Don and Derek Rickman and their enduring Metisse motorcycles in various forms. The brothers built the first Rickman scrambler in 1959, so the day was also a celebration of the 60th anniversary of the first Rickman Metisse. Of course the guests of honour were Don and Derek Rickman, whose response to the endless requests to sign motorbikes was ever energetic and enthusiastic. The former Rickman factory employees were well represented and it was estimated as one of the most popular events ever held at the museum. I think we can also claim that it was the largest-ever gathering of Rickman Metisse motorbikes, 80 in total. We can only imagine…

From the rough and tumble of the MX world to bicycles for children with dwarfism, Brian Curtis’s journey is an unusual one. The world of MX or scrambling in the Sixties beckoned for the young Curtis and the south west was a hotbed of competition. He made his mark on the tracks and his machines showed evidence of thought in their modifications. A talented metalworker, Brian would work for some of the best known names in the MX world before branching out on his own. A contract to produce frames for the HL Yamaha project occupied his time for a while and then when that was finished, a chassis kit for the Honda XR500 motor was next. Brian estimates he has done 10 frames for Honda MXers, a couple, maybe…

When your brother is a top scrambler then the impetus for you to have a go is there too. “I was okay,” admits Roger, “but never as fast as Dave.” Not unnaturally, Roger has raced more than the odd Matchless but also a TriBSA or two. Like his elder brother Dave, Roger’s background is in farming followed by the transport business. Now, at 83, he admits to being someone who vanishes to the shed and works on bikes. “Best job I’ve had,” he grins. Roger Curtis is responsible for the build of this Curtis Honda. Roger and Brian Curtis – the manufacturer – are not related, though Roger is the brother of Matchless star Dave Curtis.…