Innholdsfortegnelse for May 2025 i The Classic MotorCycle

Published in the May 29, 1930 issue of The Motor Cycle, this photograph features three motorcycles, two of which are somewhat unlikely racers, while the other, unsurprisingly, was the most successful of the trio, featuring in the results, unlike the other pair. The event was The Southport Hundred (written like that), which took its name from the winner receiving the ‘Daily Despatch’ 100-guinea Cup and £50 cash prize, not an inconsiderable sum by any means, certainly enough to attract some of the star names, including the man who was to run out winner, Charlie Dodson, victor in both the 1928 and 1929 Senior TTs on Sunbeams, the same marque on which he triumphed here. However, Dodson didn’t have it all his own way, not to start with anyway, though by…

The headline of this piece was what Howard Wilcox explained to me, as we stood in his workshop looking at his ‘two of everything’ JAP-engined SS100. And Howard would know. As an enthusiast of the marque, serial owner and Brough Superior (BS) Club committee member for over 40 years, as well as being the editor of the owners’ club magazine, he’s well familiar with the machines, and was giving me an instruction in the world of the SS100, all to tie-in with our forthcoming Stafford extravaganza, of which Howard’s organisational skills, powers of persuasion and contacts book have facilitated greatly. To spend time in Howard’s company, is to bask in his knowledge and infectious enthusiasm. As a young man, he bought his first Brough Superior in 1981, when having gone…

Not only was Mike Hailwood one of the most successful riders in road racing history, he was also one of the most versatile. For Mike not only raced a huge variety of machines throughout his 23-year career, but he often competed on three or four different makes, capacities and/or types in a single day – from a 125cc two-stroke single to a 500cc four-stroke in-line four. And in true Hailwood style, he won races on most of them. Yet, at the outset of his career, it seemed that Mike would forever be dogged by the undeniable advantage of being a rich man’s son. Time after time, after he’d proved his riding superiority by winning up to four races in an afternoon in the late 1950s, the critics would scoff that…

The Isle of Man Mountain Course was adopted for use by the Tourist Trophy motorcycle races in 1911. Since then, the ‘fact’ that the first rider out for early morning practice had to stop and open the three road gates on the Mountain section has been written of so many times that it has become part of TT folklore. Many believe it to be true, but we have cause for doubt. In its issue of July 3, 1912, local newspaper ‘Mona’s Herald’ explained the official order of things, saying: “By arrangement with the Motor Cycle race controllers, men have opened the mountain gates each morning for the last fortnight, to enable the motorcycle racers to have unrestricted course in their cycle practice.” In those early days the gates made up…

This all-American scene was included in the July 6, 1961 issue of The Motor Cycle, alongside a letter, titled Can’t Stick ’em, written by the man on the motorcycle, Rick Willey, from St Louis, Missouri. He wrote: “May I join in the big twin controversy? I have ridden many different makes of US and foreign machines since I took up motorcycling in 1948, and, unlike some US enthusiasts who ride strictly at weekends, I use my machine every day. “All told, I have owned five 1200cc V-twins, seven 500cc and 650cc vertical twins, one 500 single and two horizontally opposed twins of 500 and 600cc. Besides these, I have owned six other machines for competition use. I can, therefore, claim that when I compare one big motorcycle with another, I…

By the 1970s, Moto Guzzi found itself at a crossroads, grappling with changing market dynamics, ageing technology, and financial uncertainty. It was against this backdrop that Argentinian industrialist Alejandro de Tomaso – already the owner of 85% of Benelli – acquired SEIMM (Società Esercizio Industrie Moto Meccaniche), the parent company of Moto Guzzi, in 1973. De Tomaso’s vision for Moto Guzzi was pragmatic: rejuvenate the product line-up and make the company competitive in a motorcycle market that was becoming increasingly dominated by nimble, reliable Japanese machines. The backbone of Moto Guzzi’s range was the venerable but outdated 500cc single-cylinder Nuovo Falcone, a thumper better suited to military and police use than to the tastes of 1970s motorcyclists, and their heavyweight twins. To remain viable, Moto Guzzi needed smaller, lighter, and…

THE SPECIALIST The Velocette Owners’ Club was formed in 1957 and continues to promote the machines produced by the Hall Green, Birmingham manufacturer. With countrywide branches, the club encourages riding, and also has a wealth of knowledge in keeping bikes on the road. The club kindly agreed to help with specialist knowledge for this guide. ■ Velocette Owners’ Club: www.velocetteowners.com MODEL HISTORY By 1953, the LE lightweight scooter/motorcycle cross for which Veloce had high hopes appealed to only a limited market, so sales were not as good as expected. The MAC was the only bike on offer for traditional Velocette enthusiasts and was updated with a spring frame. Seeing a potential market opportunity for a full half-litre model, after an absence of more than five years, a new MSS model…

This project was never going to be a catalogue-correct restoration to the nth degree, as, having been assembled from parts lying around, the motorcycle hadn’t actually existed in the first place. If there were matching frame and engine numbers, or the starting point was a tired but complete machine, then the matter would be different. However, we in the classic world tackle such projects for a variety of reasons and probably the only one with any semblance of normality would be ‘I had one when I was young…’ so don’t go looking for any rational explanation as to the direction this one has taken. This doesn’t mean there isn’t a plan – there is, or one of sorts at least. So, this ‘plan’ has several elements to it, and the…

Come and see the stunners We’re fast counting down to The International Classic MotorCycle Show now, which is held over April 26/27 at Stafford County Showground, with the big news being the Brough Superior SS100 collection we’re welcoming, its appearance being unlike anything seen before, in terms of a single model representation. There’s plenty more in the issue – see page 30 – regarding the man who has helped us greatly in gathering together the display, detailing some of the machines, he’ll be coming along too. But that’s just some of them, as there are others as well, including an historic trio; the famous Works Scrapper, T E Lawrence’s George VI and the ‘Cunliffe racer’, known for its distinctive, mauve finish. The ‘Scrapper’ was owned by the Brough Superior factory…

The article, which appeared in The Motor Cycle of June 10, 1915, shared the same title as used here, with the byline crediting the author, H Mortimer Batten. That was Henry (although always known as Harry) Mortimer Batten, born on February 4, 1888, in Otley, Yorkshire. At the time of writing, Mortimer Batten was in his early years as an author, though, subsequently, was to become a familiar name to many. Mortimer Batten had apparently started writing in 1912, meaning that this report was one of his earlier efforts, certainly before he earned the renown that was to come. It’s a somewhat curious piece, with several huge generalisations and sweeping stereotypes (“The Scot may be slow, but he is far quicker than the Englishman when it comes to realising the…

For many years now, every February, we, as the group responsible for and associated with The Classic MotorCycle, have been journeying west, to visit the Royal Bath and West Showground in Shepton Mallet, for a weekend of classic motorcycle immersion, a chance to look at machines we perhaps don’t see at many other events during the year, with the same true for quite a lot of their owners. Showgoers travel from afar, both to visit and display motorcycles. In fact, some of the big winners had come a long way, recognising the Bristol show for what it is – which is now probably the biggest event for earlier, say pre-1951, machines, anywhere in the country. It provided a real contrast to the recent Classic Bike Guide Winter Classic, held at…

The original intention was to test these two motorcycles for separate features, but to make life easier for all concerned, not to mention actually finding a dry, sunny day, we decided we would ride and photograph both of the machines at the same location. However, it soon became clear that there were massive similarities, not only in the stories of the actual bikes and owners, but in historical terms, and it would provide an interesting comparison as they were both registered in 1960. Norton buffs may well be saying ‘but the Jubilee Deluxe is just a 250 and the Triumph 21 is a 350’, but both of these two are 350s, for reasons I will explain as we go though their restorations and history. Although for a long time dismissed…

This year, the established Brooklands Motorcycle Day will take place on Sunday, July 6. It will be organised as usual by the museum’s motorcycle volunteers. In addition, there’s a new venture on the calendar: the Veteran and Vintage Motorcycle Day is scheduled for Sunday, April 6, and will be run in conjunction with the enthusiasts of pre-1930s bikes from the Sunbeam Motor Cycle Club. A preview day in February gave an idea of what the new event will entail and it promises more than bikes. In Brooklands’ long history, the record-breaking and major races inevitably captured the imagination and headlines, but the Veteran & Vintage Day will also uncover some of the less well known events, as well as demonstrating the development of transport. Bicycles were among the earliest forms…

With the engine still on hold – Jon and wife Margaret are still enjoying France – my attention is still on the MZ’s chassis and cycle parts. With the wheels cleaned and almost ready to go back in, I decided to tackle a job I’d not been looking forward to at all: cleaning up the frame. Grease, oil, road grime and various other unpleasant substances have congealed into a thick, sticky black mass on the frame rails, swinging arm, centr stand and footrest tubes. There’s also a little bit of surface rust here and there coming through the paint in places, along with some nasty looking scratches, some back to bare metal. Saying that – and as you might be able to see from the pictures – it’s not really…

Tuners Tuners enhance the performance and/or economy of anything they touch, from pianos, through motorcycles to GP racing cars. One of the famous post-Second World War tuners was Steve Lancefield. Before the war, Steve worked for and was then in partnership with factory Norton rider Harold Daniell at Harold’s Forest Hill, Southeast London shop. Their partnership was further cemented when Steve married Daniell’s sister Clare. Steve tuned Harold’s 350/500cc entries for the 1937 IoM TT races, where Daniell finished fifth in both races. For reasons history can’t explain, Harold gained, at the expense of Freddie Frith, the Bracebridge Street factory 500cc ride in the year’s Dutch TT. While the factory supercharged BMWs were ideal for the lengthy straights of the long circuit, the Nortons handled better. Daniell, who was short-sighted,…