Innholdsfortegnelse for November 2019 i The Classic MotorCycle

Knock-out Yamaha I really appreciated the letter from Nigel Megson regarding the great article by Andy Westlake on my Greeves 197cc Scottish in the September 2019 issue of The Classic MotorCycle. In answer to his question concerning my ride in the 1971 ISDT, it was cut very short on the Tuesday afternoon. The small 18in front wheel that was in the Yamaha was a problem. On really rough going it tended to nose-dive and it eventually got the better of me – I went over the top, was unconscious for some time and ended up overnight in Nobles hospital! I only have one photo of me on the bike (attached). Despite its faults, it was quick and may have been more controllable with a 21in wheel, but we did not…

Angela Carter ticks many of the boxes from the original brief for Triumph’s Tiger Cub. She’s young, and keen on Triumphs – her 250cc Tigress scooter featured in TCM March 2019, and there’s a 3TA 350cc twin awaiting completion. And she’s female – the Cub’s unisex intention was to appeal to girls as well as boys, like 1950s scooters were doing. And finally, like Cub creator Edward Turner, she’s not that long in the leg. As she puts it plainly: “The Cub is small enough for short people” Cub scout Angela’s interest in Cubs began in 1995. In the lock-up garage opposite hers there was a beauty, plus other Triumphs, including a 6T Thunderbird. “Once you’ve ridden one of those” said the owner, “you’ll realise how flimsy Cubs are!” But…

Exactly 100 years ago, over 150 makers or importers exhibited their 1920 season motorcycles, scooters, cycle attachments, runabouts, sidecars, proprietary engines and accessories at the November 1919 Olympia Show, London. Of the exhibitors, 91 were displaying complete ready-to-use machines, runabouts, scooters and/or cyclemotors. To confuse the historians, some makers took more than one stand. While wars are abhorrent, like racing, off-road competition and high mileage testing, the military’s hard use of vehicles in the many extreme theatres of war improved the breed at a faster rate than year-on-year, progressive development. The weeklies and trade magazines listed the many improvements their scribes had observed during visits to the November 1919 Olympia Show: 1 A move to the adoption of countershaft gearboxes for many models. 2 The increasing popularity of all chain…

01 Engine The aluminium crankcase housed a built-up crank assembly with substantial flywheels and an uncaged roller big-end for the steel con-rod. Pre-1931 models had a single drive side roller bearing and a self-aligning ball race on the timing side. This arrangement was superseded by a roller main bearing each side supplemented with an e drive side ball journal. Classic Norton dimensions of 100mm stroke and a 79mm piston gave a swept volume of 490cc. The timing chest contained individual gear-driven camshafts and, after 1930, the drive to a gear-type oil pump as the engine was by then dry-sump. A chain drove the magneto, or magdyno, always behind the cylinder on an ES2. The cylinder barrel and head were cast iron. Inlet and exhaust had individual, distinctive parallel push-rod tubes.…

A brief summary of the sporting, financial, manufacturing and business restructuring leading to the launch of the British Anzani two-stroke twin cylinder motorcycle engine could fill a chapter, or even a book! Ultra-briefly… Alexandre Anzani, son of a Milanese sewing machine mechanic, moved to Paris circa 1900/01, becoming a successful motorcycle racer, notably on the Parisian board cycle tracks. He started an engine building factory in a city suburb, supplied Louis Blériot with a 3.4 litre three cylinder engine which famously powered the aviator across the English Channel in 1909 and then made lots more aircraft, boat, and motorcycle engines. British Anzani Engine Co was founded under Alexandre’s guidance (and expense) during the First World War. Hubert Hagens (Belgian decent) became involved to oversee the design and production of some…

At first glance, the photograph asks more questions than it answers, with a particularly intriguing scene taking place. In the foreground, a 1951 Triumph TR5 Trophy can be seen fitted with some rather dusty and thoroughly used luggage. The TR5 was based on the Speed Twin, offering riders a trials machine that was designed with road use in mind – it featured a high level two into one exhaust system, allied with good manners on the road. Its name (Trophy) derived from the three ‘specials’ that Triumph built for the Italian International Six Day Trial in 1948, which went on to win three gold medals and the manufacturers team trophy. Marlon Brando’s 6T Triumph Thunderbird in ‘The Wild One’ inspired none other than James Dean, the young man who epitomised…

It may be months before the International West Kent Run, but every year, January is but a couple of days old before the eponymous Vintage MCC section has received a full quota of entries. Miss it, and there’s a slim second chance with a waiting list for places should someone later withdraw an entry. This year, the mix of entrants at the event over August 1-5, was much as before, with around 60 riders from overseas and half of that number from the Netherlands. The programme listed some 70 pre-Second World War motorcycles. New friendships or renewing old ones is all part of the strong social element to the run and this contagious spirit pervades the long weekend. For many attendees, it’s an event that’s a highlight of the year.…

The early 1970s was a difficult time for MV Agusta. Not least because in the January of 1971, while accompanying the President of Finland Urho Kekkonen on a visit to the factory, company founder Count Domenico Agusta suffered a heart attack. He passed away four days later in his Milan apartment. Very much the figurehead of and driving force behind MV, the count’s untimely death hit the firm hard and what direction there was towards commercial success – Domenico had always been more focused on the racing and not the roads – would be even less after his passing. Still, the Count had – quite rightly – realised that not every Italian could afford to (or would want to) buy exclusive, expensive, multi-cylinder exotica and had persevered with the development…

Mention the name ‘DOT’ to any classic off-road motorcycle enthusiast and they will be instantly taken back to that golden era of off-road sport in the late 1950s and early 1960s, where the Manchester-made, Villiers-powered two-strokes were at the head of the field in both trials and scrambles. Not only did top stars like Alan Clough, Pat Lamper, John Griffiths and Ken Messenger take on – and often beat – the factory Greeves in the quarter litre scrambles class, in one day trials the works supported team comprising of Lamper, Eric Adcock and Norman Eyre – plus Arthur and Lyn Pulman on their sidecar – meant there was hardly a national trial where a DOT didn’t appear in the results. So much so, in 1963 it persuaded West Country man…

It’s a fair bet anyone reading this has moved house/workshop a time or two. You know the drill – stuff is packed in boxes, and what’s in the box is written on the outside in marker pen so there’s some idea of what’s where… at least, that’s the theory. For some reason, though, stuff never seems to be in the box we thought it was in. So for the past few months, I’ve been racking my memory cells for a few bits which I knew I packed. Boxes of bits have been sorted through several times, then rechecked, much head scratching has taken place too, as has ignoring the still taped up box with ‘sideboard contents, mixing bowls, large utensils’ written on it. I really should have known… so inside…

Summer always brings a plethora of events for the motorcycling fraternity to attend, a lot of them leaning more towards the active side of motorcycling. This month’s entry into the sketchbook covers two events that both took place at stately homes in England, with each location host to ‘casual’ racing affairs. While I was able to capture some of the machines in my usual manner, I did have to adapt my sketching to a quicker, less accurate style, in order to capture some of the atmosphere of the event. The Malle Mile Within the grounds of Kevington Hall in Kent, on a July weekend, over the last five years an open minded and ‘inappropriate’ racing event has been taking place. Malle – which translates as trunk or tool chest –…

Dunlop’s rare racer at Stafford A beautiful restored Kreidler, owned and raced by Robert Dunlop, is set to be one of the highlights at the upcoming Classic Motorcycle Mechanics show. The German-built 50cc bike will be proudly displayed alongside thousands of fascinating machines at the event at Staffordshire County Showground from October 19-20. The Kreidler currently glistens in a striking and beautiful maroon, the colour it was when the late five-time TT winner purchased it. Before racing it, Robert painted the bike green, but it was later restored to its original maroon. As well as the special Kreidler 50cc, the showground will also be home to excellent club stands, exciting live action including the wall of death, the Bonhams autumn sale (see separate story), classic competition machines and guests from…

It’s almost impossible to miss a Paton racing past – even with your eyes closed. The machine’s deep, resonating hum is enough to identify the Italian racer even from half-a-mile off. And if you can’t hear it, you’ll spot the machine’s bright green, super fun, toy-like livery from just as far away. In comparison, everything else seems a bit dour. But this is nothing new: the Paton has been catching people’s eyes (and ears) for decades. Among its converts is Raymond Ainscoe, who wrote ‘Paton GP Racers: 1958 to 1975’ He said: “I’ll never forget it – I was just a kid at the Isle of Man TT and I can remember it very well because the 250cc race was on the same day as the sidecar race and the…

For someone so associated with Gloucestershire, it was a surprise to learn Ron Langston was born in Warwickshire. “But I’ve been in Gloucestershire for 80 years,” grins the former British sidecar trials champion. We’re in his workshop where he is proudly showing off his latest creation, an Ariel Square Four in a swinging arm frame. “Ariel never made a production swinging arm Square Four, there were a couple of prototypes, and it’s a great shame they never made it to the range, as they’re a lovely motorcycle to ride.” It was clear talking to him he is most happy when discussing the ins and outs of the work involved in creating rather special Squariels or resurrecting another classic, than his achievements in the sporting world. In common with many of…

My story first. As a teenager over 50 years ago, I happily sprayed any form of paint which would pass through a spray gun without a thought of using masks, although occasionally, when the air became a ‘bit thick,’ an old duster was tied over one’s nose… I’m not advocating a return to those days, as the dangers were unknown to us then, leading to our carefree attitude and, with hindsight, we are still breathing so were lucky to get away with it. But this is exactly what we did. Today, I’m less than proud of my actions, and we learned a valued lesson one day when spraying creosote to speed up treating a friend’s mum’s fence – we gassed ourselves literally senseless. Suddenly appropriate masks and understanding the products…

OCTOBER 3 Mod ’n’ Mini Night ‘Italian Special’. Ace Cafe, Ace Corner, N Circular Rd, Stonebridge, London NW10 7UD.london.acecafe.com OCTOBER 3-6 Wales Rally GB. www.walesrallygb.com OCTOBER 4-6 Bumtoberfest. Essex Outdoors, Rewsalls Lane, East Mersea, Colchester, Essex CO5 8SX. www.bumtoberfest.co.ukTel 07708 419987 Email muddybumclub@live.co.uk OCTOBER 5 Ride to the Wall. From various locations in the country, converging to the National Arboretum, Croxall Road, Alrewas, Staffordshire DE13 7AR. www.rrtw.org NSA (National Sprint Association) Dakota Raceway South West. Smeatharpe Airfield, Devon EX14 9RF. www.nationalsprintassociation.org OCTOBER 6 End of Summer Scooter ’n’ Mod Special. Ace Cafe, Ace Corner, N Circular Rd, Stonebridge, London NW10 7UD. london.acecafe.com Copdock Classic Motorcycle Show. Trinity Park, Felixstowe Road, Ipswich, Suffolk IP3 8UH. www.copdockmotorcycleshow.co.uk Email show.enquiries@copdockmotorcycleshow.co.uk Mid Wales Classic Bike Show. Pant-y-Dwr Village Hall, B4518 Rhayader-Llanidloes. Tel Roger 01597…