Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue 63 Summer 2022 i Classic Dirt Bike

❝... the cyber world has had lots of traffic on it about the shortage of certain trials tyres. The ones in question are the superb Michelin ‘X’ range which began with the ‘X1’ a lot of years ago... ❞ Ever been presented with something so completely unfathomable that trying to find the answer absorbs way more time than it actually should and seems to dominate your waking and sleeping life until suddenly it is solved? Yes, the cam timing of Project Triumph has finally been sorted to the point where the bike runs and the tale is detailed further on in this issue; what still mystifies me is why the timing marks don’t make the cams do what they should. Even though the bike is running there’s still a lot…

If you want your off-road action with style, 2022’s International Dirt Bike Show has a record-breaker just raring to go and be part of the action. Organisers of Europe’s largest off-road show, set for October in Telford, have confirmed that BMX star Lee Musselwhite will be performing stunts for the crowd with his Extreme International team. The show is set for the Telford International Centre from October 28-30 and Lee, the Pro BMX Flatland rider, will perform a unique display of ground tricks with all kinds of twists and spins at high speed, previously described as ‘breakdancing on a bike’. Lee holds the Guinness World Record for the greatest number of no-handed spins on a BMX in  one minute with a trick called the Death Truck… and with that sort…

Hard to believe the British Bike Bonanza is in its 40th year but it is. Back in the last century when the idea of a scramble for old dirt bikes, with added motorcycling attractions, was a preposterous idea… ‘ha ha’ they laughed, ‘never work…’ they smiled indulgently… so, anyway, 40 years on Adrian Moss is behind the whole thing again. Main sponsors are Rickman Motorcycles and Warners Motor Group. For 2022 the scramble will be a ‘pre64’ event, held on Sunday, July 31 at Jackements Lane, Tarlton, which is on the A433 Tetbury to Cirencester road with the postcode GL7 6PN. Colin Dommett is signed up to be guest of honour and will be ably supported by Andy Roberton, Dave Curtis and Vic Allan. Main attractions though will be the…

It is probably safe to assume the Bantam has far exceeded any expectations BSA ever had for it when it joined their range in 1948. Probably the company initially viewed it as an entry level machine to capture new riders and gain marque loyalty. Since those far-off days when BSA obtained the two-stroke’s design from DKW as part of war reparations and produced their version of the German machine it has gone on to capture the hearts of a motorcycling public. With the twin attributes of being uncomplicated and simple in operation added to its light weight, the Bantam has served the Post Office as a telegram delivery mount, helped district nurses on their rounds, been the chosen mount for world travellers and made its mark in all manner of…

Want to be in here? Contact the editor Tim Britton: cdbeditor@mortons.co.uk or advertising executive Leon Currie: lcurrie@mortons.co.uk 01507 529465 Top hat What you NEED to know: Looking for the safest helmet on the market? Reactive Parts says look no further: 6D’s ODS technology is an award-winning energy management system which reduces energy transfer to the brain during impact. 6D helmets outperformed competing helmets with flying colours in independent safety tests. It’s not dubbed “Next Level Brain Protection” for nothing! Head over to 6Dhelmets.com for the full lowdown on the tech behind this patented market-leading protection. What you WANT to know: Designed with ergonomics in mind, it’s a well-fitting, balanced and luxurious MX lid. It doesn’t stop there: the ATR-2 comes with a sleek helmet carry case, with pockets and extra…

In some respects the Hagon Shocks-backed Classic Dirt Bike Show at Telford’s International Centre has fared better than other events in the pandemic-devastated motorcycling calendar. Though it feels it’s been forever since we were in Telford there has only been one missed show, as the 2020 event – when Badger Goss and Bernie Schreiber were guests – happened a couple of weeks before the first lockdown when the country ground to a standstill. There were some tricky moments in bringing the show back; it seemed the rules organisers of any event had to comply with changed every day and even up until a month before the traditional February date there was still uncertainty. What was certain was this would be a different type of show from the previous ones, the…

There comes a point in a rebuild when the problems accumulate until they transcend minor details and add up to a massive stumbling block, ultimately delaying completion of a working motorcycle. For some time now this project has been a source of frustration for me and I’ve tried all sorts of things to persuade the blasted thing into life, all to little or no avail. Neither a pop, bang nor feeble splutter has come from the engine of this very basic 350cc twin. Even going over the settings of the whole engine, checking components and sundries did little more than increase the frustration. It isn’t even as if I’m trying to super-tune the mild mannered little twin, I’m not, I’d be happy with it actually running in the first instance.…

In the space of two weeks weather in the North East went from baking hot to freezing and snowy! Still, off-road event organisers are made of stern stuff and riders too are determined to squeeze every possible bike-minute out of every day… weather be damned. Naturally under such circumstances the conditions have to be taken into account and with Lilburn Estate in Northumberland being blanketed by nearly a foot of snow as the course was being marked out, parts of the route were unavailable. There was still a bit of snow around for the actual event but it had melted and we’re assured by riders on the Saturday the course was muddy enough. So, here’s a selection of pics from Sunday’s slightly reduced course and, as happens with the weather…

Just as the show was closing we got a chance to photograph Tony King’s stunning Honda TLM 260 and find out a little about the bike before it was dropped in at its new owner’s house as Tony went home. Honda’s two-stroke trials bike is one of those machines which, so it seems, people either know loads about or very little. I’m in the latter category and luckily for me Tony is in the former; since getting his first one in 2012 he’s rebuilt three and has more in the workshop queue. Honda’s TLM model is by modern standards quite a rare machine. Built at the HRC factory alongside their RTL models it’s reckoned Honda produced 200 per year for four years which, according to my calculator is 800 motorcycles…

Sammy Miller’s museum in New Milton, Hampshire is packed with motorcycles of all genres. Perhaps unsurprisingly there is a leaning towards the competition side, but one of the best displays is the ‘country garage workshop’, typical of small garages in the early 20th century. There is an excellent website www.sammymiller.co.uk with opening times detailed. The museum address is Sammy Miller Museum, Bashley Cross Roads, New Milton, Hampshire, BH25 5SZ and the telephone number is 01425 620777…

The Classic Dirt Bike Show, held in February at the Telford International Centre, is the event of the year for classic off-road motorcycle enthusiasts of all disciplines. Hagon Shocks, famed for its aftermarket shock absorbers and wheel building services, has been a long-time supporter of the show and recognised the continuing value of the event to the Hagon business by signing a new deal with event organisers Mortons. Tony Hutchison of Hagon said of the deal: “We’re delighted to continue to support the Classic Dirt Bike Show and this new three-year agreement demonstrates the value of this event not just to Hagon Shocks but the whole industry. It was great to see the vibe return to the show in February post-pandemic and reaffirmed our decision to be the headline sponsor…

Bultaco model numbers are relatively straightforward and tend to detail a design change rather than an actual year. In this feature we’ve mentioned several models of Sherpa and starting with the Model 80 – which was a 250 – the next production Sherpas were the 91/92 for the 250 and 325 versions. After these came the 124/125 and 150/151; again, the lower number was the smaller capacity. Things become slightly more confusing at the end of the Sherpa’s life when the 198/199 designation began. Soon after the model number gained a letter – 198A/199A – to show the change when the frame tubes were replaced with an alloy bashplate and then finally the 198B/199B for the final versions of the Sherpa. Things are not quite as straightforward with capacities as…

As the Sixties made way for the Seventies, few would doubt the once proud UK motorcycle industry was having a bit of bother, and competitors heading to Edinburgh for the start of the 1970 SSDT would mostly have foreign machines to weigh in. There were still a few British-made machines in the line-up for the first Scottish of the decade; while most were ‘British assembled’, using a variety of foreign engine units or a smattering of older machines still able to cope with such a long event, some were truly British-built. Among them was Reg May’s 250cc Triumph Trophy, which he converted from the BSA/Triumph group’s roadster in Comerford’s workshops as an official project, and the technically interesting alloy-framed Walwin Bantam ridden by Ross Winwood. Interesting though both were, and…

To win a trial such as the Pre65 Scottish is a notable achievement in anyone’s book and there have been 22 winners in the nearly 40 years of the trial. To do it more than once is exceptional but there have been nine such riders with this achievement under their trials helmet. However those who have won it three times or more are in a much smaller club which, until the last rider finished the 2022 trial on Saturday, April 30, had only three members – Mick Andrews, Sammy Miller and Dave Thorpe – but as the results were worked out, the scores checked and double checked it became clear this small club had a new member… local lad Gary Macdonald. What made Gary’s 2022 win so special was he’s…

To change the face of a sport once is a notable achievement, and those who have done it are few and far between, but to change a sport three times is an incredible feat and almost impossible to believe had it not been well documented in the press and the proof still evident. What are we talking about? Sammy Miller’s impact on the world of trials riding, that’s what. The latest bike to leave the Sammy Miller Museum workshops is the ‘Miller’ he developed in the late Seventies, and at the time was the culmination of years of experience and development ability. It also represents a ‘clean sheet’ approach to the needs of the feet-up sport, as in the past Miller’s efforts had been from someone else’s starting point. His…

Call it what you will – full out Scottish Six Days Trial, or by its initials SSDT, or simply The Scottish – this unique event has been an eagerly anticipated one in the trials calendar since the far off days of belt drive motorcycles before the First World War. Prior to the Covid pandemic, which has affected every aspect of our lives in all parts of the world, the trial had only been interrupted by world wars and foot and mouth. However, it looks as though the 2022 event and its associated Pre-65 trial will happen, and enthusiasts will travel to the Highlands and Fort William to ride or watch these prestigious events. Our photograph is of Belgian ace Bernard Cordonnier, sadly no longer with us, tackling the first group…