Innholdsfortegnelse for May 2020 i The Classic MotorCycle

What a difference a month makes. Four weeks ago, when I sat to write the introduction to the last issue, we were excitedly preparing to be ready for the joys of spring, the start of a season’s motorcycling, a hopefully long and hot summer, all kicking off with the Pioneer Run and Stafford show fast approaching and with all manner of fun developments on the horizon. Now, things have changed dramatically, and darkly, for the worse – and with the virus situation developing so quickly, it’ll have changed more by the time these words are read. We can, I think, take it as a given that the vast majority – probably all – of the events we’d previewed last month, won’t be taking place, though, really, that’s going to be…

The Bonhams Spring Stafford Sale, scheduled to take place on April 25/26, 2020, in conjunction with the 40th International Classic MotorCycle Show, has been postponed until June 12/13, in line with the show. The Bonhams’ statement says: “It has been – and will continue to be – a challenging time for all of us while the Covid-19 pandemic unfolds in the UK. The decision to postpone the Spring Stafford Sale hasn’t been taken lightly but the health and safety of our clients and employees remain our top priority and we are responding accordingly. “Thank you all for your patience, understanding and support in these unprecedented times. “We look forward to working with Mortons towards a safe and memorable event but, in the meantime, we want to assure you that we…

1920 We’ve now received details of more products announced earlier this year. Firstly the Douglas Pattern Capac DM carburettor available with choke tubes to suit both the 2¾hp and 4hp flat twins and the Ayres-Layland-Sidecar Outfit with leaf spring controlled sprung frame. Built by the Viaduct Motor Co., Broadheath, Manchester it’s equipped with a Coventry Victor flat twin in-line engine, Sturmey-Archer three-speed gearbox and Brampton Biflex front fork. 1945 Every day we hear of factories developing prototype motorcycles and components. Many are in such an advanced state that work must have started on them well before the war ended. 1970 Double world sidecar champion, 41-year-old, Helmut Fath (May 24, 1929-June 19, 1993) announced he was retiring racing with immediate effect following a difference of opinion with associate Friedel Münch during…

It’s evident from his famous (well, famous among motorcyclists, or more specifically TT fans)1935 film No Limit’ that George Formby, the star of the film as plucky and keen young ’un George Shuttleworth, was a true motorcycle fan And indeed he was. From 1938 to 1944, Formby was Britain’s biggest box office star, making a total of 22 films in all, as well as numerous records and starring in music halls across Britain All this success meant Formby was able to indulge his passion for two-wheelers, with a succession of machines, though he certainly didn’t have to sell one to buy the next, his garage often containing things ranging from a James Captain to a Vincent Rapide – and the International Norton featured here. In 1947 brand-new motorcycles were in…

My apologies to readers whose interest is only really piqued by articles about powerful four-strokes from famous factories, because this time they’ll have to make do with two out of three. The Ducati 65 Sport may not totally live up to its ‘Sport’ title, but – unusually for an ultra-lightweight – it’s a four stroke and it’s an important stepping stone on the Bologna factory’s route to events like Mike Hailwood’s astonishing comeback victory in the 1978 TT, and even today their world-class racing exploits continue unabated. None of that could have been foreseen, though, when motorcycle production started in the late-1940s. The family firm of Ducati – run by father Antonio and three sons – had been successful makers of electrical and military equipment since the 1920s, before suffering…

Edwin Wright, at 78 and retired and living on the south coast, is a Brummie with an accent to suit. All his life he had a credo straight from ‘the city of a thousand trades’ – “I wanted to design things.” Working at BSA’s Small Heath Drawing and then Design Offices, and then from 1967 at the Group’s R&D centre, Umberslade Hall, allowed him to do so – up to a point. Today, he’s a suitably taciturn Midlander, but when he speaks of those days, the passion – both enthusiasm and anger – keeps bursting through. Brummagem born and bred From the age of 12, Ed attended Handsworth Technical School, studying basic mechanical engineering. “They had gas engines there, on which you could vary the stroke. We learned about engines,…

For 25 years, from 1931, Professor Archibald Montgomery Low was president of the Auto-Cycle Union (ACU), a role he fulfilled while also engaged in myriad other activities, including being a prodigious author of all manner of works from science fiction to ‘how to’ books. Born on October 17, 1888, Archie was the second son of John and Gertrude Low. John Low was an engineer, while Gertrude was possessed of an open and inquisitive mind, and from an early age, young Low was interested in all things mechanical and scientific. He went to prep school at Colet Court, Barnes, south west London, before progressing into St Paul’s proper, where he was a contemporary of Bernard (later Field Marshal) Montgomery. Low didn’t fit in, later reflecting he was ‘too much of an…

The fundamental character of a motorcycle has changed surprisingly little over the years. In the time they’ve existed communications have been transformed from tedious short-range telegraphy to virtually instantaneous availability of sight and sound anywhere in the world. Yet present day motorbikes would be quite recognisable to the pioneers at the end of the 19th century. Admittedly they wouldn’t understand the electronic wizardry which now controls the ignition and fuelling (but who does?), and they’d be gobsmacked by the lights, tyres and brakes. But they’d certainly understand the principle of having two wheels, with the back one driven by an internal combustion engine. It’s the engine which gives the motorbike its character, and it’s the engine which has operated on the same basic principle for more than a century. Future…

After 190 technical features, the time has come to retire from writing the column, because two things have happened. First, I have exhausted everything I can accomplish at home without repeating past work or going into the minute details of making parts for current projects, including a 1907 LMC, and am happy and willing to write about. There are tasks (such as wheel building) we undertake, but I’m not confident of my skills and therefore cannot advise or write about the why, where and how, nor the pitfalls, and although we use a lathe and mill, we aren’t trained, thus our objective is to get the job done with accuracy somehow, rather than following correct engineering procedures which precludes me from advising anyone. A few months ago I turned 69,…

Sherborne-based Charterhouse Auctioneers has announced that George Beale has joined their classic and vintage motorcycle and car department. “Contrary to common belief George has not retired but has joined Charterhouse!” commented Matthew Whitney. “He has a lifetime of experience during which time he has consigned five of the top 25 motorcycles auctioned in the world for clients and holds the highest price for a client’s Brough Superior SS100 sold at auction.” George has always been a competitor whether on two wheels or on four. His motorsport career started in 1965 when he competed in motorcycle trials and scrambles and continues today – he was a class winner in the 2018 Gordon Bennett Classic Car Rally. In between, he started restoring and collecting motorcycles in 1970, became a Yamaha dealer 1976-81,…

ENGINE TYPE Single cylinder overhead valve CAPACITY 65cc BORE X STROKE 44mm x 43mm POWER OUTPUT 2.5hp@5500rpm LUBRICATION Recirculating from sump GEARBOX Three-speed in unit with engine TRANSMISSION Gear primary, chain final drive IGNITION/ ELECTRICS 6V lights, flywheel magneto ignition CARBURETTOR Weber 16MCF SUSPENSION Own make telescopic forks and undamped rear swinging arm FRAME Tubular spine WHEELBASE 46in SEAT HEIGHT 28in WEIGHT 106lb BRAKES 4in diameter sls drums TYRES 2.25x18in TOP SPEED 43mph approx. PRICE NEW £100 (in UK)…

Best solo performance, Alexander Trophy: G L Jackson, 347cc AJS, 16 marks lost Second best solo performance, Lochaber Trophy: G J Draper, 249cc BSA, 20 Third best solo performance, Nelson Trophy: J V Smith, 249cc BSA, 22 Best sidecar performance, MacNaughton Trophy: S T Seston, 499cc BSA, 163 Notes: Bob Collier and his near standard Norton Jubilee/Watsonian Bambini sidecar completed the six days with a loss of 361 marks to earn a first class award. Despite early concerns of excessive oil breathing, both Roy Peplow and Artie Ratcliffe’s 199cc Second best sidecar performance, Seton Trophy: A Pulman, 498cc Matchless, 189 Best 150cc: E W Smith, 149cc Greeves, 174 Best 200cc: J R Giles, 199cc Triumph, 44 Best 250cc: Draper Best 350cc: Jackson Best over 350cc: S H Miller, 497cc Ariel,…

The King of Crash and OK motorcycles I came across these postcards in a bookshop in Pembrokeshire and I would like any information you can give on them. One is of Phil Bishop on a speedway machine, photographed by C F Wallace of Levenshulme, Manchester. The other is of a rider on a lightweight machine with an outside flywheel. Any information, please? Mike Newbury, email, Wiltshire. Phil Bishop was arguably one of the most famous speedway riders to never win a world championship. Most sources say he was born July 1910, although a few imply 1912, at Bow, London. It is accepted he was a wheelwright by trade and it’s suggested he first raced at High Beech, Epping, in 1928. A hard, challenging rider, he was, in the 1930s, one…

THE SPECIALIST It took a time before interest in Bantams led to a specific club for that most prolific of BSAs. Soon, area reps were helping encourage interest in various parts of the country and the annual rally is now an important highlight. The club continues to grow in strength. Thanks to club committee members Mike Foster and Peter Wilson for guidance through the major differences of Bantams from the swansong years of production. ■ www.bsabantamclub.org.uk MODEL HISTORY By the mid-1960s, BSA was needing to update its stalwart Bantam. For more than 15 years, in various evolutions, it had sold to learner riders and commuters. There was growing competition from Oriental manufacturers, with bikes offering sophistication and commendable performance from relatively small engines. While BSA’s reputation meant much to the…

APRIL 3 Bike Night + Streetfighters. Ace Cafe, Ace Corner, N Circular Rd, Stonebridge, London, NW10 7UD. london.acecafe.com APRIL 4 VMCC (Isle of Wight Section) – Isle of Wight Vintage & Classic Show. Winter Gardens, Ventnor. Tel Keith Hadfield 01983 730559.Email keith.hadfield1@btinternet.com. Dainese D Air Day with demo. Bike Stop, 104 High Street, Stevenage, Herts, SG1 3DW. www.bikestop.co.ukTel 01438 317038. APRIL 4/5 South Wales Sunbeam Motorcycle Club 28th Annual Bike Show. Llanishen High School, Llanishen, Cardiff, CF14 5YL. www.southwalessunbeammcc.co.uk APRIL 5 Kawasaki Sunday. Ace Cafe, Ace Corner, N Circular Rd, Stonebridge, London, NW10 7UD. london.acecafe.com Malvern Festival of Transport. Three Counties Showground, Malvern, Worcs, WR13 6NW. www.classicshows.org.Tel 01484 667776. Pre-65 Sporting Trial. Lount. Tel Peter Hydemonk 07826 683600.Email pmonk83@yahoo.com. Ledbury MCC Ledbury Leader Grasstrack Racing for Youth and Adults. Sparrington…

Second Edition Production and racing motorcycles from 1923 to the present day Author: Ian Falloon Published by: Veloce Publishing Ltd, Veloce House, Parkway Farm Business Park, Middle Farm Way, Poundbury, Dorchester DT1 3AR Tel.: 01305 260068 Email: sales@veloce.co.uk Fax: 01305 250479 Hardback, 270 x 210mm (portrait); 304 pages with 270 colour and black and white photographs and illustrations. ISBN 978-1- 787113-58-9/UPC 6-36847-01358-5 £40 (UK); $60 (USA) Max Friz’s side-valve shaft-driven R32 of 1923, the first BMW boxer twin motorcycle, set BMW on a path that would continue for the next 96 years. BMW has never been afraid of innovation, from the supercharger of the 1920s and 1930s, to the telescopic and then Earles front forks, wind-tunnel-developed fairings, anti-lock brakes and Paralever rear suspension. Here is the full story of all…

Norton-Villiers collapses in the early 1970s and along with it went its subsidiary companies, including AJS. Fortunately for AJS, however, Fluff Brown restarted the marque in 1974. Fluff – the company’s off-road campaigner and the Stormer’s tester-developer – seized the opportunity to purchase the entire AJS Stormer spare parts inventory and manufacturing rights. He continued to supply Stormer parts and produced affordable FB-AJS motocross machines and 250cc FBAJS trail bikes into the 1980s. Fluff’s eldest son, Nick Brown – quoted in this feature – joined the company in 1987.…

It isn’t just me who likes the idea of not spending a fortune on a bike, as this book by Mike Brown shows. It is a soft-back American A4-sized book with 200 pages – if you count the front and back covers – and covers putting together a typical Brit Beezer or Triumph on a miniscule budget. It was originally a White Horse Press publication but since they retired, it is now a MotorBooks product. Inside the covers there is a lot of useful information, some you will know, other stuff maybe not, but if you’re thinking of going ‘Brit’ but are put off by huge costs for concours winners, then this book may be for you. A search on the internet found it easily as MotorBooks is an imprint…

The twist grip throttle: Indian claim to have had the first production motorcycle to have this, pioneering its use in 1904 – although I am talking about early adoption in this piece, and European manufacturers appear to have been woefully late in getting around to what is now an integral part of motorcycle design. Consider that my 1917 Harley-Davidson had a twist grip on each bar (one for advance and retarding the ignition, and the other throttle) yet my far more sporting 1926 Norton that sat alongside it in the workshop, still had levers to deal with all that. Telescopic forks: Although we might think of these as being from the 1940s, this being the decade that saw their universal adoption, we can go back to Scott patent drawings from…