Innholdsfortegnelse for May 2019 i The Classic MotorCycle

Firstly, an apology. Last month’s museum guide managed to relocate a number of museums, though of course they hadn’t actually been relocated, it’s just our amateur cartographers managed to muddle where each one should have been. Sorry for any confusion caused – and the guide is in again this month, on pages 74-75, with places back to where they should be. Last month’s loosely themed ‘working motorcycles’ issue has brought lots of correspondence, reminiscing, points and themes for discussion. Thank you to all who’ve contacted me and apologies if your letters have not appeared – our (mainly electronic) post bag is overflowing and we could’ve filled six pages with letters this issue, I’m quite sure. We’ll give over a bit more space next month, as there’s some great stuff that…

The National Motorcycle Museum has announced lots of unusual new products. Museum director James Hewing commented: “Among the additions to our range is a replica revolving and illuminated BSA dealership sign. The museum also has the best motorcycling bookshop in the world and our complete range of books, plus all our other unique motorcycling gifts are all available to purchase online.” The National Motorcycle Museum website www.thenmm.co.uk lists hundreds more products than it would be possible to showcase in a traditional print version of a mail order catalogue.…

A ‘Nod’ to the memory – tales of hardy souls I really enjoyed your article ‘Saintly Collection’ (April 2019) about Terry Smith and his collection of ex-police motorbikes. My father was a policeman who for years in the 1960s used to patrol on a ‘Noddy bike’ in Crosby, Liverpool. He often reminisced about his residential training somewhere near the Lake District and of being taken out on training days on big Triumph twins where the training group would hurtle along the roads of the lakes and surrounding areas in single file. The leaders would steadily increase the speed as the outings progressed to equip the police trainees with advanced skills of motoring on two wheels in a ‘swift but safe way’ and to acquaint the riders with high speeds. He…

The Dordogne is a long drive from home in Aberdeenshire and the prospect of nursing a 51-year-old bike over a thousand miles of main roads and motorways didn’t appeal. Instead, the best option seemed to be to secure the A65 into the Peugeot van and let that take care of the ‘junk miles’ necessary to reach the Dordogne. Even in a van however, Aberdeenshire to the Dordogne is a long drive – an afternoon, an overnight stop and another full day to Portsmouth, an overnight ferry and another full day’s driving to the Dordogne. When all the costs of driving are properly added up – fuel, stopover hotels, en route food, ferries, and tolls on the French motorways, the services of a European motorcycle shipper such as Bikeshuttle (www.bikeshuttle.co.uk), who…

To document the life of a rider such as Johnny Brittain, who passed away on March 7, 2019, aged 87, is not an easy task. One could simply list the sporting successes achieved by one of England’s most accomplished off-road riders, which alone would fill this section, but then miss a lot of what made John Victor Brittain not only a top rider, but universally popular too. Known to his contemporaries in the trials world as ‘JV’ and to the readers of the motorcycling press as ‘Johnny,’ he was born on December 27, 1931, in Wombourne, West Midlands. Johnny and his younger brother Pat grew up in Walsall, where their father, noted pre-Second World War rider Vic Brittain, ran a garage and motor engineers business – where Johnny would begin…

Harrogate Crematorium was packed to capacity as the motorcycling world paid tribute to Peter ‘Top Gear’ Gaunt on Thursday, March 7. The 82-year-old fought a brave battle against cancer but sadly died on February 20. Known throughout the motorcycling world as a talented engineer and one not bound by convention, Peter’s innovative way of thinking also appeared in the world of model aircraft. For us it is Peter’s motorcycling exploits which we remember and from his early days with support from Triumph, then works status with Royal Enfield, the legendary ‘Gaunt Preparation’ became bywords for excellence. Embracing the lightweight ethos, Peter took it to a whole new level with a series of small capacity machines built around Suzuki and Jawa engines which launched the mini-bike on to the trials scene…

When struggling to find some parts for his own restoration projects, Andy Marks decided he would have to arrange manufacture himself. It made sense to manufacture in small batches, so he set up Kingpin Components so all the parts could be made available to others as well. The range of parts is continually increasing with a focus on parts not available elsewhere. These include complete Dunlop rubber saddles, magneto vernier drives, double barrel silencers for Nortons and the latest addition, Andre Steering Dampers. If there’s something you’re struggling to find for any make or model of bike contact him. All of this and more can be found at www.kingpincomponents.co.uk…

TALMAG TROPHY WINNER 2019 BEN BUTTERWORTH Age: 26 Number of Talmags: 4 Machine: 1958 Ariel HT5, built by Neil Gaunt in 2002, Mick Grant engine. Gaunt took the Pre-65 Scottish win on the bike in 2005. Best result: Second Pre-65 Scottish 2016 First classic rides: On grandad’s Tiger Cub. Ben says; “The Talmag is a cracking event, especially with everything being four-stroke. The atmosphere is great and it’s more of a social coming down with a few of the others from up north.” DEBUTANT SIDECAR WINNERS DARYL/HANNAH DALE Ages: 29 and 25. Number of Talmags: First (although Daryl did passenger Ian Hannam in 2018) Machine: Ian Hannam’s 1967 460cc RTS BSA B44 – first time out on the outfit. Best Result: Winners Intermediate British Sidecar Championship, Expert British…

ENGINE : 199.5cc, four-stroke, OHV single BORE AND STROKE: 63x64mm COMPRESSION RATIO: 7:1 MAXIMUM POWER: 10bhp@5500rpm ELECTRICS: Six volt CARBURETTOR: Dell-Orto UB20 CLUTCH: Wet multiplate GEARBOX: Four-speed, heel-toe FINAL DRIVE: Chain FRAME: Tubular steel cradle SUSPENSION front: Telescopic fork, rear: Swinging arm with twin hydraulic shock absorbers TYRES front: 19 x 2.50in, rear: 19 x 2.75in BRAKES front: SLS 8in/203mm drum, rear: SLS 8in/203mm drum SEAT HEIGHT: 29in/737mm DRY WEIGHT: 243lbs/110kg FUEL CAPACITY: 4.5 gallons/20 litres TOP SPEED: 68mph/109kmh…

It’s not really that far into 2019 as I write this, and I have already attended my first classic meeting of the year. It was one of those breakfast club-type affairs – start time before 10am and all done by lunchtime. I’d never been to one before and on a bright but bitterly cold January morning, I wondered what I had let myself in for. I need not have worried as it was brilliant, with bacon rolls and hot, fresh coffee for those who had booked in, plenty of classic motorcycles to look at and a sprinkling of interesting cars, too. The atmosphere was definitely enhanced by it being in the grounds of a country house hotel in the West Midlands, especially as they had a function room to allow…

BRYAN REYNOLDS The Rudge Enthusiasts’ Club has announced that Bryan Reynolds, a founder member of the REC, died at his home on Thursday, January 31. Bryan is probably best known to many folks through his books Don’t Trudge It, Rudge It! and Rudge-Whitworth: The Complete Story. He was also the Rudge Marque Specialist for the VMCC. Condolences and our appreciation of Bryan’s work have been made to his wife Rose. MAKE A DATE FOR DOVER IN MAY Dover Transport Museum hosts a classic motorcycle show on Sunday, May 12. For details log on to dovertransportmuseum.org.uk MUSEUM MUDDLE Last month, we helpfully included a museum ‘where to find us’ map... sadly our compass went a bit awry and we placed some of the museums in the wrong place. Atlases have been…

With plenty of overseas interest, and some good prices realised on spares, the recent Dee, Atkinson and Harrison sale at Sledmere House in East Yorkshire was an outstanding success. New homes were found for 98% of the lots as a house record of £460,000, including buyer’s premium was reached. The sale included the Mike Hanson Collection of veteran and vintage spares and motorcycles. The 300-odd lots of spares realised some £70,000, led by two pairs of Vincent Brampton girder forks at £3000 and £2800. His most expensive bike was a 1927 Sunbeam Model 9 at £19,550 (to Hungary) followed by a 1930 Velocette KTP at £9775. The sale was led by a good 1960 BSA Gold Star DBD34, two owners and part of a collection that lived in a heated…

Isle of Man TT – The Golden Years, 1963-1982, Volume Three Author: Mick Duckworth Published by: Lily Publications Ltd, PO Box 33, Ramsey, Isle of Man IM99 4LP www.lilypublications.co.uk Fax: +44 (0) 1624 898 446 Hardback, 210 x 205mm (landscape); 96 pages with over 110 photographs and illustrations. ISBN 9781911177258 £16. This third volume in the TT Golden Years series follows the previous two chronologically, with a selection of Isle of Man TT motorcycle racing images from 1963 to 1982. They are all from the Keig Collection, amassed over eight decades by the family-run Keig Photographic Company based in Douglas on the Isle of Man. While not a comprehensive history of TT racing in the period (fuller facts and figures are available elsewhere) this is a selection of evocative photos…

1919 Witty auctioneering at the recent sale of surplus Canadian Army motorcycles at the British Cab Company’s London depot led to some extravagant prices for well-worn military machines. While Indian and Douglas bikes went for high prices, Triumphs commanded top bids, including by one buyer, who paid 69 guineas for a battered Model H. 1944 The death of Harry (Henry Albert) Collier, aged 60, after a long illness, was announced. He was the oldest of six children born to Henry Herbert Collier, joint founder of cycle maker Watson and Collier. Initially, the partnership was unable to use the ‘Matchless’ brand as it was registered to others, but when this registration lapsed, the partners adopted the name Matchless. Watson left in 1892 leaving Henry alone to continue making cycles. In 1899,…

CLASS A – UNDER 300cc: Chris Chell (BSA C15) 0 (32.56), Shane Stalker (BSA C15) 0 (34.07), John Dismore (Triumph Cub) 0 (38.12), Jon Henderson (Triumph Cub) 0 (38.75), S Mannerings (BSA C15T) 2 (36.07), Chris Poel (Triumph Cub) 2 (38.59). CLASS B – OVER 300cc RIGID: Ben Measures(Ariel NG) 0, Clive Dopson(Norton 500T) 1, Richard Talbot (Matchless G3C) 5, Gavin Shaw (Triumph TRW) 7. CLASS C – OVER 300cc SPRUNG: Ben Butterworth (Ariel HT) 0 (30.00), Jack Butterworth (Ariel HT) 0 (32.32), Tom McCabe (AJS) 0 (33.22), Simon Chell (Triumph 21) 0 (33.28) Tim Hartshorne (AJS 18CS) 0 (33.44), Daniel Carter (Norton/ Ariel) 0 (33.50), Matt Mison (Matchless G80) 0 (34.40), C Gascoigne (Triumph 5TA) 0, K Bint (Triumph 3TA) 0, M Clarke (Ariel HT5) 0, Colin Allsop (Ariel…

Disparate machines In the years before he died in 2000, Tom had wound down his racing activities. The stable of race bikes had been sold at auction, but a few new but mainly used spares, as well as a detritus of unidentifiable parts for disparate machines, remained. Tom knew Richard would occasionally take a stall at a local jumble and so the clear-out should have been mutually beneficial. Except – Tom would not conclude the deal! It was uncharacteristic, it was frustrating. A date had still not been fixed when Tom passed away. It was only at his funeral, that his son, known either as Tommy or Tom Junior, agreed to honour his father’s promise and allow Richard to clear the shop. Before the war, the Arter brothers, Tom, Stan,…

Although an A65 looks good and elicits thumbs-up signals through wound-down windows from passing drivers, it was in reality something of a painfully underdeveloped missed opportunity. The racing success of the A65 in dirt track, sidecar and production racing (shown right) is undeniable, but this was often achieved following aftermarket modifications, such as roller bearing conversions for the dreaded oil-fed timing side bush. With a large research and development facility, how could BSA bring a bike to the market with such an inherent but easily corrected design fault? If small specialist engineering companies managed to successfully correct this issue later on, surely the mighty BSA corporation could have nipped this and other issues in the bud, and put out a bike from the factory that could be ridden hard, reliably.…

Best solo performance (Alexander Trophy): Roy Peplow, 199cc Triumph, 18 marks lost Second best solo (Lochaber Trophy): Gordon Jackson, 347cc AJS, 20 Third best solo (Nelson Trophy): Sammy Miller, 497cc Ariel, 22 Best sidecar performance (MacNaughton Trophy): Peter Roydhouse, 490cc Norton, 109 Second best sidecar (Seton Trophy): R T Williams, 497cc Ariel Best 150: Arnost Zenen, 125 CZ, 122 Best 200: Peplow Best 250: Bill Martin, 249cc James, 33 Best 350: Jackson Best over 350: Miller Best 350 sidecar: Carey, 346cc Royal Enfield, 203 Best over 350 sidecar: Roydhouse Best first timer (P S Chamberlain Trophy): Bill Wilkinson, 246cc Greeves, 57 Best manufacturers team (Blackford Trophy): Triumph – Roy Peplow, Ray Sayer and Artie Ratcliffe, all 199cc Cubs, 81 ■ Jackie Oliver, winner of the 1958 SSDT sidecar class, crewed…

Assuming you have, or have had, more than one motorbike, do you have an all-time favourite, or does your favourite depend on current circumstances? I ask the question because it’s just occurred to me that my 1961 Norton ES2 – a motorcycle I’d happily describe as the best all-rounder I’ve ever owned – has seen very little use in the last year. The Norton itself hasn’t changed, so it must be me – or rather my motorcycling – which has altered. And almost imperceptibly it has. I used to think nothing of riding 40 or more miles to the start of a VMCC run, covering 50 or 60 miles in company, and then riding home again. Well now I don’t do anything like that, and it’s mostly because the trip…

Hub centre steering production models For the past three months, two hub centre steering questions have been lurking on the YWA computer desktop, waiting for inspiration, or maybe intervention. Both readers have had their queries answered directly as both wanted to remain anonymous – they were both considering buying a vintage Neracar and were after the same machine! However, Jeff Waller, who lives in the warmer parts of Southern Europe, and who has no such worries about anonymity, recently emailed: If you think there is a story for you here Richard, then please use it, but probably it is too modern for your pages. We went to Valencia on March 2, 2019 for the ‘Legends’ meeting and on the Bimota stand was the most unusual ‘experimental’ geometry steering on one…

THE SPECIALIST An anonymous owner, we will refer to him as ‘Val’, has hands-on experience of GTPs and offered advice on running and restoration. Spares, if required, are wherever you can find them. Marque specialist Grove Classics has some GTP parts, but warns demand is low and will not warrant the investment for manufacturing further stocks. Thanks to both for their words of wisdom. Membership of the Velocette Owners’ Club is also recommended. ■ Grove Classics: 01234 752033; www.groveclassicmotorcycles.co.uk ■ Velocette Owners’ club: www.velocetteowners.com MODEL HISTORY Innovative, often ahead of their time, earlier products from Veloce were not always to conservative motorcyclists’ tastes. The exceptions were the two-stroke lightweights. Following the appearance of its first two-stroke in 1913, Veloce had continuously refined such engines. By the late 1920s, these had…

APRIL 5-16 It’s Good to Talk. UK Tour for Recovery 2019. 8-10 The Glebe, Chells Way, Stevenage, Hertfordshire, SG2 0DJ. www.livingroomherts.org/fundraisers/uktour2019. Tel 07974 406188. Email morganthemighty@hotmail.co.uk APRIL 6 Kempton Park Motorcycle Autojumble. Staines Road East, Sunbury-on-Thames, Middlesex, TW16 5AQ. www.kemptonparkautojumble.co.ukTel 01507 529529. LE Velo. W Midlands, visit Velocette OC, bring and buy. Aston-By-Stone Village Hall, ST15 0TE. Tel 01785 662594. APRIL 7 Classic Scooter Show. White Lion Pub, 46 High St, Baldock, SG7 6BJ. Tel 07963 609143. Kawasaki Sunday. Ace Cafe, Ace Corner, N Circular Road, Stonebridge, London, NW10 7UD, london.acecafe.com Hoghton Tower Sprint. Hoghton, Preston, PR5 0SH. www.hoghtontower.co.uk April Fool’s Run. Battlesbridge Motorcycle Museum, Battlesbridge, Essex. Email ppopham@yahoo.co.uk Kenley Autojumble. The Portcullis Club, Kenley Airfield, Victor Beamish Avenue, Caterham, CR3 5FX (jct 6, M25) for sat nav use CR3…