Innholdsfortegnelse for November 2020 i The Classic MotorCycle

Welcome to what feels, to me, a particularly diverse issue, in regards of time anyway, with a 25-year-old (so VMCC eligible) Triumph Thunderbird juxtaposed against a pair of vintage-era Velocettes, covering plenty in between, from a plethora of lightweights – both Italian and the doughty Bantam – to off-road heavyweights and some traditional classic fare. It’s a nice mix, reflecting the broadness of our interest. And as an added bonus, readers will receive a free supplement on British parallel twins, a reprint of one first given away with this magazine 31 years ago, compiled by the incomparable Brian Woolley; alas, I never knew him, though we did correspond when I was a teenager as I sought to ascertain what colours my green-painted 1946 B31 should be. Silver, with two black…

The Velocette ‘Mark’ (Mk) is explained basically thus – everything road going from the 1925 Model K through to the last KSS/KTSs of 1935 is classed as a Mk.I. There were a dizzying array of models (KE, KN, KTP, KES, KNS… the list goes on) and, in all, around 6000 roaster Mk.Is were made – these all featured exposed valve gear and an open cradle frame. The Mk.II (in KSS and KTS forms) came in 1936 and was to run through until 1948. This, while still recognisably a ‘cammy’ and evolved from the Mk.I, was possessed of enclosed valve gear and a full cradle frame with vertical seat tube, as used on the Mk.V KTT (and 500cc pushrod MSS). Weight increased incrementally from the first Mk.I KSS (1925) quoted at…

The new fork bush for the left side fork leg arrived and was pushed into place, meaning the forks could now be reassembled, which they were. The right leg had moved nice and easily and freely, but the left one really didn’t feel great. They had to come apart for some more investigation. Nothing appeared wrong with the reassembly process, but it was not happy – and trying to push in into the top yoke, started to hint at what the problem was. A bent leg. Now, I know (with hindsight) we should have checked for ‘straightness’ before heading down the reassembly path, but there was no reason to suspect anything untoward; the front end was all together and though we’d not paid much attention to it, it all seemed…

Italian motorcycles carrying the names MV Agusta, Moto Guzzi and Bianchi are ones well known to most of us, but when was the last time you saw a lightweight sporting the moniker of Olympia Borgi, Paglianti, or Umberto Dei? If you are like me, the answer is probably never, but examples of all of these – plus several more unknowns – can be found secreted away in a workshop in Mandello Del Lario. For lots of enthusiasts, Mandello means the home of Moto Guzzi but, in a side street just off the banks of Lake Como, lies a fascinating collection of lightweights belonging to Tarcisio Pirelli and his two sons, Giorgio and Marco. A couple of summers back, I was walking through the streets of this quiet Italian town when,…

THE SPECIALIST Chater-Lea was never a major manufacturer and while there are survivors, they cover a number of different models. Information is limited, but The Vintage Motor Cycle Club is probably the most accessible source. This guide concentrates on the most prolific model the company produced and we are grateful for the assistance of the VMCC’s marque specialist for help with this guide. ■ The Vintage Motor Cycle Club: 01283 540557; www.vmcc.net MODEL HISTORY The family concern of Chater-Lea was a well-established cycle component supplier before pursuing the market for powered machinery and eventually making complete cars and motorcycles. The company had a reputation for good quality products, reinforced with success in record breaking at Brooklands. In the mid-1920s, the manufacturer was producing a 488cc side-valve marketed as its ‘Sports’…

Those who watched the recent documentary about fundraiser Captain Sir Tom Moore, the man who celebrated his 100th birthday during the Coronavirus pandemic by walking laps of his garden and in doing so raised over £30 million for the NHS, will have seen some brilliant, pre-Second World War footage of the Scott Trial. This was included because it transpires Captain Sir Tom’s uncle was Billy Moore, shown, who was an event regular and star performer in the trial, always on Scotts – the model which Sir Tom was to go on to ride himself, too, him being pictured in the programme with a post-First World War Scott in, presumably, the 1950s. Poor Billy’s fate was revealed; in 1935 he was found dead, in his car, in his garage, and 15-year-old…

After wins in the important Sunbeam point-to-point and Wessex National, May 1960 saw the Metisse make its overseas debut in France, quickly followed (the next month) by its first appearance in a Grand Prix. Under the Italian sun at Imola, both brothers were in terrific form and at the end of a gruelling day’s racing – won overall by Sten Lundin – Derek was second and Don third, while the works BSAs languished in sixth, seventh and ninth places. A week later, there were two more impressive second places in the West German GP, but, unlike the Small Heath men who were paid to race their works bikes, the Rickmans had a business to run and, as Don recalled, there was precious time to draw breath or enjoy the sights…

It’s strange to think that when I started writing for The Classic MotorCycle, this Thunderbird hadn’t even been made, and, in fact, was a model only recently announced by Triumph’s reborn factory. It shared nothing except its name with the original, Meriden-made, Thunderbirds – about the biggest and fastest bikes you were likely to see on a Vintage Motor Cycle Club (VMCC) run at that time – and it seemed inconceivable it would ever be anything other than a modern bike, with a nod to history. But time has flown, and the VMCC’s rolling 25-year rule means that superbikes (and commuters) from the 1980s and 90s are now eligible for club runs. Unarguably, that has changed the character of things, and true vintage bikes are now rarely campaigned, except in…

In the mid-1980s, my mum worked at a solicitors, and they had a client whose name was, I think, Mr Stack. An older rather eccentric gentlemen, he was a frequent visitor to the office about various situations (including complaining that his feet were on fire) and during one such visit he mentioned he had an old motorbike he wished to dispose of. A BSA. Did he know what model, mother enquired. “A Gold Star. I’ve had it for years. Some lads are coming round to look at it for a field bike.” That evening, mum told dad about it and next night, dad, my brother and I, little boys obsessed with motorbikes, went to see this Gold Star, fully intending to save it from the fate it seemed destined for.…

The period press took their photographs at the IoM TT races which, along with additional material sourced from recognised professional freelancers, were published in the Blue ‘Un, Green ‘Un, monthlies and interested local newspapers. Many are similar and were often taken from the same favoured vantage points. This chance acquisition of an unknown enthusiast’s collection of pictures, both captured by this unknown TT fan and bought from course professionals, allows us to look over his/her shoulder. The collection covers the period 1952-57 and here we publish images from the 1953 TT practice and race weeks. 1 The long shadows suggest Alfredo Milani (70) is about to start an evening practice session with his factory 500cc, four-cylinder Gilera. Nearby, Les Graham (350cc MV Agusta four) and Reg Armstrong (500cc Gilera four)…

The story goes, that when 1920s road racing superstar and multi TT winner Alec Bennett first sampled a mark one overhead camshaft (OHC) 350cc Velocette, so convinced was he that it’d win the 348cc Junior TT, he eschewed a fee from Veloce… unless he was victorious. The shrewd Bennett, naturally, knew what he was doing and duly triumphed in the 1926 Junior; though, actually, the model had debuted at the previous year’s races, where although it showed promise, results weren’t what the factory would’ve hoped for, as factory tester Fred Povey and Gus Kuhn both retired. In 1926, the same duo were Bennett’s backup; Kuhn was fifth (averaging over 62mph, against Bennett’s 66.7mph) with Povey ninth. It was impressive stuff. On the back of such high-profile triumphs, then, of course,…

MUSEUMS faced an existential crisis this summer as measures to control the coronavirus tore through civilised life as we know it. Social distancing, Covid-worthy cleaning requirements (not easy across hundreds of motorcycles), limits on numbers and – at one point – locked doors, has pushed the culture industry, in particular museums, to the brink. But it’s not all bad: some motorcycle museums have pushed on with an attitude that’s as stoic and enduring as some of the lug and bolt-framed machines on display. One such place is the Lakeland Museum, whose staff have gone to extreme – and extremely creative – measures to deal with the ‘new normal.’ The museum, which has more than 100 motorcycles on display, shut its doors following the announcement of the first lockdown on March…

This was going to be a feature based on fibreglassing, as the mould is made, waxed with release agent and all ready to go. The resin and cloth are also in the workshop – then, looking at the kit, I thought: ‘It’s been a while, maybe I ought to practise on a scrap bit first, to see if I can still do it…’ Top and bottom of it is, I need to do a bit more practise before I create a seat base that will do the bike justice. In the way of these things, once word got out I had some cloth and resin another job or two arrived on the doorstep… literally, as I wasn’t in and a relative dropped off a seat unit fitted to a Montesa…

John Prestwich, like others including future speedway star Wal Phillips (nephew of Bert Le Vack), was underwhelmed by his first visit to a speedway meeting in 1929. Fortunately, JAP technical man and accomplished world speed record holder Stan Greening held a different view and bent Prestwich’s ear. For the speedway rider, the JAP racing engine needed to be lighter and with more instant power as delivered by the four-valve Rudge engine and the twin cylinder Douglas, which was beginning to lose out to the Rudge. Stamford Bridge captain Bill Bragg made this point to Vivien Prestwich at the 1929 London Show. Stan Greening and Teddy Prestwich set-to, grafting a 500 barrel with 350cc head modified to suit the larger bore onto a 350 bottom end. The engine was 11lb lighter,…