Classic Bike Guide - June 2015 - Preview

OVER-ENFIELD WILLIAMS NORTON

BIGGER BANGS THAN MOST PETER’S MONOCOQUE RACE BIKE

THE MIGHTY VINCATI

A TRIUMPH ON THE DIRT

MATCHLESS G12CSR || SUZUKI RE5 || MOTO GUZZI CX100 || BONNIE GUIDE

No.290June 2015

£4.20

MR VINCENT’S ENGINE IN MR DUCATI’S BICYCLE

CLASSIC BIKE GUIDE || CONTENTS

074

006 012 014 016 020 022 028 032

STAFFORD SHOW

An impossibly large event with an impossibly large number of bikes (and people)

SOME NEWS

Road, race and restoration

PETER WILLIAMS NORTON

Would you like a monocoque Norton racer?

GEOFF DUKE

A tribute, by Alan Cathcart

SUBS PAGE

Take time to subscribe. Everyone’s a winner

BSA ROCKET 3

Unspeakable excellence. Maybe

VELOCETTE SCRAMBLER One seriously modified single

NORTON MODEL 18

Remarkably practical, not over-priced

036 042 046 050 052 054 056 066 074

MOTO GUZZI CX100 A what? Find out here

MATCHLESS G12CSR

A truly red rocket

LETTERS

Every one a winner! More please

GEORGE COHEN

Authentic and original. Ish…

PAUL D’ORLÉANS

Writers teach us how to speak

MARK WILLIAMS

Tales of turkeys, wild and otherwise

VINCATI

084 094 102 110 128 130

CLASSIC BIKE GUIDE

At last, a guide to buying Japanese

MODEL STUDY

Triumph T140 Bonneville (and others)

MODEL STUDY

Suzuki RE5 (like no other)

READER ADS Lots. Lots. Lots

CLUB SPOT

Trident & Rocket 3 OC

FRANK WESTWORTH At the rear as usual

Italian soul beats with an English heart

TRIUMPH TIGER SPECIAL

A serious prowl cat

OVER ENFIELD

How to race your Bullet. No, really

#

290 JUNE 2015

CLASSIC BIKE GUIDE || JUNE 2015 3

CLASSIC BIKE GUIDE || EDITORIAL

|| whO’s whO || eDITOR || Frank Westworth editor@classicbikeguide.com pUblIsHeR || Tim Hartley thartley@mortons.co.uk DesIGneR || James Duke RepROGRapHICs || Simon Duncan eDITORIal assIsTanT || Jayne Clements pRODUCTIOn eDITOR || Dan Sharp DIvIsIOnal aDveRTIsInG ManaGeR || David England 01507 529438 dengland@mortons.co.uk aDveRTIsInG || Jane Farquharson, Leon Currie 01507 524004 jfarquharson@mortons.co.uk lcurrie@mortons.co.uk

FRANK WESTWORTH

aRCHIve enQUIRIes || Jane Skayman 01507 529423 jskayman@mortons.co.uk sUbsCRIpTIOn ManaGeR || Paul Deacon CIRCUlaTIOn ManaGeR || Steven O’Hara

Special pleading I’ve always been entirely fascinated by specials and by the guys who build them. It’s a tiny weirdness, but although I’ve built several specials, mostly in a state of combined disaster with friends, none of them has been any use. They all sounded great on paper (or in the bar, which is where they all actually started), but when the great moment arrived, and gears were engaged ready to roll the bike on to that great highway … things always fell apart.

It has been exactly the same with every special I’ve bought, and over the years I’ve bought a few. And sold them, usually promptly. I am entirely hopeless with specials. My own interminable rebuilds usually revolve around returning a bike to as close to stock as I can get it, which is a challenge, in a defeatist kind of way, as I reverse the years of improvement inflicted upon some sad sack of a motorcycle in my endless and pointless quest to make it into something that’s actually good to ride. So then, specials are rubbish. Is that what I’m saying?

Not at all. One of the joys of a bike hack’s life is that I get to ride a lot of bikes without the tedious nonsense of having to buy them first. Never forget this. This is why I am such a smug guy and worthy of derision. I’ve ridden several truly outstanding specials. I attempted to build my own for two reasons, the second of which was that I’ve ridden several excellent specials. The first reason for building them was also the reason for my own bikes’ failures. That reason being I was skint and needed to bodge everything. Those guys who are afflicted with genuine talent, skill, ability and knowledge do things differently. It has taken many years and much sorrow for me to understand this. I will build no more specials of my own.

This slightly navel-gazing moment was produced by reading through the stories of the bikes in this issue. Amazing. Lots of specials. Almost all bikes are specials, even if all that’s been changed have been stainless fasteners, maybe better controls and a new seat, but some specials are rather more special than that. All credit to their builders; the better the builder, the better the bike. It’s obvious, really…

That’s it. See you out there.

Frank editor@classicbikeguide.com

MaRKeTInG ManaGeR || Charlotte Park pUblIsHInG DIReCTOR || Dan Savage COMMeRCIal DIReCTOR || Nigel Hole assOCIaTe DIReCTOR || Malc Wheeler

COnTRIbUTORs In THIs IssUe Alan Cathcart, Bob Clarke, George Cohen, Steve Cooper, Rowena Hoseason, Phil Mather, Paul d’Orléans, Jim Reynolds, Mark Williams, Nolan Woodbury eDITORIal aDDRess Mortons Media Group, Media Centre, Morton Way, Horncastle, Lincs LN9 6JR websITe www.classicbikeguide.com GeneRal QUeRIes anD baCK IssUes 01507 529529 24hr answerphone Email: help@classicmagazines.co.uk Web: www.classicmagazines.co.uk sUbsCRIpTIOn Full subscription rates (but see page 24 for offer): (12 months 12 issues, inc post and packing) – UK £50.40. Export rates are also available – see page 24 for more details. UK subscriptions are zero-rated for the purposes of Value Added Tax. DIsTRIbUTIOn COMAG, Tavistock Road, West Drayton, Middlesex UB7 7QE. Telephone 01895 433600.

Usa sUbsCRIpTIOns CLASSIC BIKE GUIDE (USPS:002-674) is published monthly by Mortons Media Group Ltd, PO Box 99, Horncastle, Lincolnshire LN9 6LZ UK. USA subscriptions are $54 per year from Motorsport Publications LLC, 7164 Cty Rd N #441, Bancroft WI 54921.

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ISSN No 0959-7123

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4 JUNE 2015 || CLASSIC BIKe GUIDe

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RIDInGLIFE News || eveNts || letters || iNterviews

Stafford show The April Carole Nash International Classic MotorCycle Show featured showbiz celebs and racing superstars and TV personalities… and some old motorcycles, too PHOTOS BY Joe Dick, Rowena Hoseason

IT’S ALMOST AMAZING there was any room for normal human beings at Stafford’s county showground in April, what with all the posh people involved in the jam-packed schedule over the weekend. James May and Richard Hammond were among the crowd in the auction hall, watching their personal motorcycle collections go under the hammer at a record-breaking Bonhams sale. All of the 12 machines owned by the duo were snapped up by enthusiastic bidders, and the two shared laughs with onlookers as James even jokingly bid on his first lot, a Yamaha Fizzy.

Meanwhile, in a darkened room just off the main hall, TV personality Pete Thorne hosted the new Restoration Theatre to a standing-room-only crowd.

6 JUNE 2015 || CLASSIC BIKE GUIDE

EvEnT SHOW

REPORT

Half a dozen lectures each day offered expert advice on several key areas of restoration and maintenance by the Motorbike Show presenter.

Saturday’s first session focused on do/don’t topics, with Pete sharing his experience of many years’ work as well as answering questions from the audience. Later presentations covered twin-cylinder engines, dry gear assembly and disassembly and electrical fault finding.

Race fans were treated to an opportunity to get up close and personal with brothers Tony and Nick Jefferies, who were the event’s joint guests of honour. The pair were busy greeting fans and signing autographs before and after their Q&A sessions on the main stage, and appeared in the

WILLIAMS NORTON

GEOFF DUKE

VELO SCRAMBLER

Hello to a new

Au revoir to a

New-old: the best of

John Player Norton

racing superstar

both worlds

P14

P16

P28

1957 CZ RACER

Classic Dirt Bike Experience and the Classic Racer GP Paddock outdoors. Showgoers were treated to all manner of rare and exotic racebikes being fired up in the paddock, and arrived early to grab a good spot to spectate at the trials demonstrations. Then there was just time to stroll past a small sample of the sprawling outdoor trade and autojumble stalls to the show ring, where proud owners paraded their P&Js for all to admire.

When the rain clouds threatened, the action adjourned indoors, where club stands and concours displays hosted the real stars of the show – the hundreds of classic motorcycles, prepped and presented by their proud owners for the audience’s entertainment. Only a few went home with a prize, but they were all appreciated, whether in original condition or fully restored, in standard specification or much modified.

We’ve chosen just a few to share with you here, but every owner who contributed to the displays deserves congratulations. As does that smashing chap Alan Cathcart, who received the Frank Farrington award for outstanding service to the classic motorcycle movement. Well deserved, Sir Al.

THE JAWA-CZ Owners’ Club hosted this genuine works racer, a dohc 250 Type 853, which was introduced in 1955 alongside its 125 Type 852 counterpart.

The bevel-drive, four-stroke singles featured a cleanly compact, unit construction, wet sump engine, 248cc in this case. It’s housed in a full cradle duplex frame with – on the 250 – leading link forks and 19 inch wheels with full-width alloy brake hubs. Depending on the state of engine tune, cams and carbs, the 250 output between 28 and 32bhp, and the cassette-type gearbox could be swapped to suit the circuit with five, six or even seven ratios. The hand-beaten alloy petrol tank is tucked behind an alloy fairing – use some imagination and you can

picture rider Jiri Kostir tucked in behind the screen…

Kostir scored his first points with the double-knocker in 1956 at the Dutch TT, finishing sixth. Then in 1957, CZ’s four riders claimed the team prize at the IoM TT, and Sammy Miller went on to race the next incarnation of the 853 in 1958.

This particular machine, ridden by Kostir, is in full working order and has a complete and documented history from its days on the works team through to its current owner, Roger Henderson.

The CZ attracted a crowd at the show as well as the judges’ attention – they gave it the ‘Technical Interest’ award. If you’d like to see more about it, go look at the Renaissance Motor Works page on Facebook.

THE CAROLE NASH Classic Motorcycle Mechanics Show takes place on October 17-18, 2015.

See classicbikeshows.com CLASSIC BIKE GUIDE || JUNE 2015 7

riDiNGLIFe || STAFFORD SHOW

1971 TRIUMPH TRAILBLAZER The final incarnaTion of BSATriumph’s unit construction 250 single is the oil-in-frame Gold Star, Victor Trail or Trailblazer, as seen here. Same bike, different labels!

Weighing in at 290lb, the 1970 T25 was around 25lb lighter than the TR25W which came before it, although it was also slightly less powerful with 22.5bhp available at 8250rpm. Once infamous for their fragility when ridden with vigour, these 250s make for handsome and practical classic mounts these days (providing you don’t intend to carry a pillion at 80mph), and offer super steering combined with decent brakes and an easy-to-start engine.

Des Price bought his T25 at the Netley Marsh Eurojumble a few years ago. “It was tatty but running – when it felt like it!” he says.

Obviously, the T25 just wanted some attention, which is what it got

last year in the form of a full restoration. Very few components were replaced, according to Des: “Every bit – nuts, bolts, etc – was polished, painted or plated.”

The result is a machine which looks as good as new but which is almost entirely original. No wonder the judges gave it the Best Classic Post-65 award.

1973 MV AGUSTA SPORT The sTuff of legend, MV’s four-cylinder four-pipe 750 Sport was announced in 1969 and, fittingly, pumped out 69bhp at 8500rpm.

The shaft-drive production models which came onto the market from 1972 were no lightweights, but road testers of the time reckoned they could hold their own on the street. ‘It has great reserves of torque and pulls happily from four thousand. It’s probably the most powerful 750cc motor made; in a straight drag with a Z1 it lost only a few yards up to 100mph’. These days it’s advisable to check that the road ahead is clear before ramming open the four Dell’Orto carbs on full throttle: the 4ls

Diary Dates May 30-31

JUNE 7

Ace Cafe, London

Welsh classic

newark autojumble,

NW10 7UD.

Motorcycle festival

Newark and Notts

ace-café-london.com

including the

Showground, NG24

Thunderfest, Anglesey

2NY. 01507 529470

JUNE 11

Circuit.

newarkautojumble.co.uk

classic racing, Aintree

thundersprint.com

Circuit, Liverpool. lincoln Bike fest,

01294 823582

ayrclassicmc.com

Lancs Classic Car and Motorcycle show,

Daventry Motorcycle

Hoghton Tower, Preston

festival, town centre,

PR5 0SH.

NN11 4HT.

classicshows.org

daventrybikefest.co.uk

JUNE 14

JUNE 20-21 race & rally festival,

Bournemouth Wheels

waterfront, town centre,

festival, Bournemouth

LN1 1XW.

JUNE 12-14

seafront.

07889 994341

cholmondeley Pageant of Power, Malpas,

Northumberland.

SY14 8ET. cpop.co.uk

07919 666818 /

JUNE 20

vmccreivers.co.uk

ace to squires ride,

bournemouthwheels.co.uk

JUNE 6

Medway ToMcc show, Higham Memorial Hall,

Bamburgh run for

Oliver’s Mount,

girder-fork or flat-tank

Scarborough.

motorcycles.

01723 37300.

classic motorcycle

near Rochester,

JUNE 13

auction, Brooklands

ME3 7JL. tomcc.org/md

scottish classic

Triumph Day at the

Motorcycle show, Ayr

Ace Cafe, London

Racecourse, KA8 0JE.

NW10 7UD.

Bonhams auction of

01292 289518 /

ace-café-london.com

pioneer, veteran and

Museum, Surrey. historics.co.uk

JUNE 10 Brit Bike night at the

8 JUNE 2015 || CLASSIC BIKE GUIDE

London to Leeds for charity. ride2cure.org.uk

1962 AMBASSADOR ELECTRA

Grimeca front brake is awesome, but it can’t quite match modern ABS… David Frier rescued his machine a quarter century ago when it was in a very sorry state.

A year-long restoration followed, with MV guru Dave Kay returning the powertrain to top-notch condition. Then in 1995 the MV took top honours at Stafford, and it collected a highly commended rosette this time out, too.

As owner David explains: “It may have more miles on it now but it has been lovingly maintained, serviced and proudly cleaned to an even higher standard than back then!”

The firsT producTion British bike to be fitted with an electric start as standard was not a Norton (which is what most folk tend to guess) but instead was a Villiers two-stroke in an Ambassador chassis.

Ambassador-built luxury lightweights which they called ‘the machines for the connoisseur’. The firm experimented with a not entirely successful ‘self-starter’ on their smaller single-cylinder model as early as 1952, but a much improved 12-Volt system arrived with the Electra 75, a 249cc twin powered by the Villiers 2T motor, in 1961. With proper swinging arm suspension, seven-inch brakes and a ‘full size’ riding position, the Electra offered superior handling and rider

convenience… although it came at a price. Most two-strokes were sold to the utility market, and in 1963 Ambassador went out of business.

At the show, Dorothy and Philip Tracy collected the Best Villiers Engined Machine award for their Electra, one of just 39 built between 1961 and 1963. They say it’s “entirely original apart from the wheel rims and a few nuts and bolts which were beyond re-use”.

The Electra was initially used as a demonstrator by Speedway Cars of Acton, then sold to a chap who rode around 18,000 miles on it before it was tucked away in a shed, waiting for its moment of glory. In that livery, it looked just fine under the spotlights…

vintage motorcycles, the

JUNE 24

somerset Bike

café racer day at the

JULY 5

Saleroom, Shipton on

shiny Bike night at The

Weekend, Haynes

Ace Cafe, London

newark Autojumble,

Cherwell, Kidlington.

Plough, Cadsden,

International Motor

NW10 7UD.

Newark and Notts

0208 963 2817 /

Princes Risborough,

Museum, Sparkford,

ace-café-london.com

Showground, NG24

bonhams.com

HP27 0NB.

BA22 7LH.

07940 492348 scorton Autojumble, North Yorkshire Events

bbcmcc.freeuk.com

Queens Head pub, Old

JULY 19

Road, Meriden CV7 7JP.

VMcc founders’ day at

Goodwood festival of

Helpringham.

megaride.co.uk

Stanford Hall, LE17

speed, Chichester

01529 421478

6DH. 0116 277 1245

PO18 0PX.

swatonvintageday.com

thetaverners.co.uk

07909 904705

including autojumble,

newarkautojumble.co.uk

Thorpe Latimer Park,

JUNE 25-28

VMCC Banbury run

Megaride finishes at

swaton Vintage day,

Centre DL10 6EH.

JUNE 21

JUNE 28

2NY. 01507 529470 Meriden Motorcycle

goodwood.com romney Marsh classic

Motor Heritage Centre,

JUNE 27-28

Gaydon, Warwickshire.

British Bike Bonanza,

Hamstreet, TN26 2JD.

01283 540557

Ponderosa, Horsley,

01797 344277

banbury-run.co.uk

Stroud. 07961 012161

elk-promotions.co.uk

show and bikejumble,

While every effort has been made to ensure accuracy of the information in diary, Classic Bike Guide recommends checking with the event organiser before making the journey. for more details of what’s on go to www.classicbikersclub.com

CLASSIC BIKE GUIDE || JUNE 2015 9

PLACES TO BE

10 JUNE 2015 || CLASSIC BIKE GUIDE

RIDINGLIFE || NEWS

You. Your classic. On track IF YOU’VE EVER WONDERED what it might be like to let your old bike off the leash and push it to its full potential then… stop wondering.

The National Motorcycle Museum is offering a series of classic track days this summer as part of its ‘Friends’ programme. This gives NMM Friends access to special track sessions at some of the UK’s most iconic circuits.

In July, over the weekend of 11/12, you could take to the track at Cadwell Park. Or in October, the NMM Friends will be at Snetterton for an extraspecial event on the 16th, 17th and 18th. This will incorporate the chance to try a vintage bike and enjoy the Endurance Legends festival, with the museum running two ex-works Norton rotary racers with star riders in the saddle.

You can book for one day or the full weekend at

Above: Alan Cathcart demonstrates the art of the classic track day

either circuit, with a minimum of five riding sessions each day, and take advantage of free advice from an ACU track instructor.

Sessions are split into 20 minutes by riding experience or by type of bike (two-stroke, British, European or superbike) to ensure that groups ride at roughly the same speeds and everyone can relax and enjoy their time on track. There’s a 105dB noise limit and you’ll need proper riding gear.

There’s a mechanic at each circuit, and camping is included in the cost, which starts at £109.

You need to be an NMM Friend to take advantage of these arrangements, and the places on these exclusive days are strictly limited, so don’t delay in joining and booking. NMM Friends membership costs £29.95 from 01675 443311 / email friends@thenmm.co.uk

bike displays, showcasing the best in vintage and classic motorcycles from the south Shropshire region over the weekend of 12/13 September. The show opens 10am to 5pm on both days.

There’s a special bikesonly parking area, a bikejumble, excellent

catering, a range of awards and trophies for the concours competitors and a chance for visitors to vote for their favourite bike. Machines will be revved up on the Sunday at 2pm to compete for a special prize for the bestsounding bike.

Manx winner at Borders Show THIS YEAR’S GUEST of honour at the Borders Classic Bike Show is racer Les Trotter, whose moment of glory came in 1976 when he won the Senior Manx Grand Prix aboard a Crooks Suzuki.

Trotter will bring two racing Suzukis to the show along with a display

which illustrates his 50 years of racing. Says event organiser Jim Reynolds: “Les is a real raconteur and will be interviewed on both days, with some great tales to tell. He’s promised not to show off his scars…”

The racing Suzukis will join two indoors halls of

12 JUNE 2015 || CLASSIC BIKE GUIDE

Event organiser Jim Reynolds is one half of the original almostdynamic duo who started this very magazine, Classic Bike Guide.

Jim and Frank Westworth – the other half and current editor – will be available over the entire weekend for

Polished classic and custom

Bonnie saddles

MOST MOTORCYCLE DEALERS buy and sell bikes. Well, duh. Of course they do. But some specialists have a different angle on the whole business; people like those at 2WheelsMiklos who are based just off the A3 near Guildford.

These guys still buy bikes and then sell them on again. In between the buying and the selling, however, these motorcycles are given more than a spot of spit and polish.

“Our objective,” say the Miklos team, “is to produce machines which are beautiful, interesting and turn heads.”

This started in 2012 as a personal project by Miklos (Mike) Salamon but soon bloomed into a full-time business restoring classics and creating superb specials.

Typically, the 2WheelsMiklos team of Miklos, Alan and Dave source bikes in good mechanical condition, strip them and then restore and / or customise them. They’re also open to turning customers’ dreams into metal reality, so long as the project is technically feasible and economically viable. The workshop has capacity to handle half a dozen projects at any time, with almost all of the work completed in-house apart from painting and chroming.

The showroom and workshops are always packed with recently-finished projects and the current works-in-

WHEN SADDLECRAFT FIRST started making motorcycle seats back in 1982, traditional Triumph twins were still being built at Meriden.

Three decades later, an entirely different type of twin now rolls out of the Triumph factory at Hinckley – but Saddlecraft staff still use their skill and expertise to offer a range of well-proven products.

The South Shields firm has always provided a rescue and renovation service. “We can rebuild almost any seat as long as we have something to work from – so give us a ring before you throw it away!”

Saddlecraft also manufactures a range of classic and custom seats with options, including genuine leather hide in various colours and grades, vinyl covers with varied textures including basketweaves, carbon fibre, ribbed, metal flakes, leather grains and suedes.

The latest addition to the Saddlecraft range is a new selection of seats, designed specifically to enhance Triumph’s current twin-cylinder Bonneville range. The first of these is in the classic ‘Café’ style, harking back to the single-seater, humpedback Swingin’ Sixties look. The second ‘Retro’ saddle is based on the stitched-top, dual-seat design seen on Meriden Triumph in the late 1960s and early 70s.

Both styles are built on a composite base which is slightly shorter and narrower that the standard seat pan. This gives a cleaner look and exposes the seat rails of the frame. The Retro saddle also comes in a narrower and lower format, helping shorter people to get their feet on the ground. The saddles are filled with injection-moulded polyurethane and covered with quality automotive grade vinyl. For long-distance riders looking for extra comfort, a gel pad option is available for £50 on top of the usual cost of £275.

More new designs will be added to the Saddlecraft range this year. Call 0191 455 6262 or see saddlecraft.com

consolation, and CBG will provide a few classic prizes. We have no idea what they’ll be…

All proceeds from the event go to the PTA at Lacon Childe School which hosts the show at Cleobury Mortimer, DY14 8PE. Further info from 01299 270642.

progress. The guys have not long finished the tip-to-tailpiece restoration of a T160 Trident, Kwacker Z1B, Yam RD350 and a CX500 to original specification and better-than-new condition. Alongside those gleaming machines you’ll find some truly funky one-off creations such as their Dakar Street Scrambler, based around an airhead R80; a steampunk BMW K100, and the urban-camo ‘war machine’ K75 triple. Coming soon; a Harley big twin and a ‘Chrome Café Racer’ which started life as a standard CB900F. Miklos is also the Métisse agent for the south of England, with a handsome Desert Racer on display in the showroom. If you fall in lust with it, 2WheelsMiklos can arrange delivery from the Métisse factory in around eight weeks from order. So if you’re in the area, drop in to browse – call ahead and they’ll have a brew waiting for you.

The shop is normally open six days a week but if you want to bring your pals or club along they’ll even open up on Sunday. Call 01483 546157 or log on to 2wheelsmiklos.com

CLASSIC BIKE GUIDE || JUNE 2015 13

RIDINGLIFE || WILLIAMS NORTON

The first of a few Words and photos by Jim Reynolds

Peter Williams, one time Norton works racer, Formula 750 TT winner on a Commando-based bike, and general motorcycle hero, is building a batch of 25 replicas of the 1973 John Player Norton that is part of the great name’s legend. And on April 7 PW Replica Number One was handed over to Belgian architect and racer Raf Blanckaert at Turweston Aerodrome, just down the road from Silverstone.

It’s a very relaxed and friendly place, where amateur flyers drop in for a break and time on the

14 JUNE 2015 || CLASSIC BIKE GUIDE

runway is allocated to other users when there are no planes wanting use of the tarmac. Like the Aston Martin Racing team, who had first call before the Norton was fired up, and drowned everything else out with its open megaphone exhaust.

Handing the bike over was Gavin Tappenden, who built the bike in the nearby MGEI motorcycle engineering consultancy, where Greg Taylor is a partner in the Williams venture. Gavin was making a living as a technician in a Suzuki franchise and

decided to up his qualifications by taking a degree course in Motorcycle Engineering at Swansea University. Time well spent? “Great. Can’t believe I’m building bikes like this that were a dream for me and being paid for it.”

Williams himself is full of praise for the skills Gavin showed in putting the 1mm gauge stainless steel monocoque-framed bike together: “When the holes for the supportive spot welding were drilled in the sheet, they were accurate to within one-fifth of a millimetre, but when Gavin folded them to the final shape they were 100% accurate. He’s good, very good; I call him an over-qualified mechanic.”

Peter Williams described the machines as “replicas, they are not John Player Nortons.

They’re built to the original drawings, but incorporate some changes.

“The pannier fuel tanks are not part of the fairing and do not need an insulating layer to keep them cool; the original John Player bikes were built with cavity wall insulation at that point”, he smiles, “and the alloy oil tank is a separate unit, not part of the monocoque, so there’s less likelihood of expensive damage if the bike’s dropped. That’s a lesson learned from racing”.

The next bike to be built was due to be shown at Stafford before being shipped off to its owner in Hong Kong, who has asked Peter Williams if he can also build a replica of the famous ‘Wagon Wheels’ Arter Matchless G50 (which used

Above clockwise from top left: The monocoque chassis is precision built by Gavin Tappenden in one millimetre gauge stainless steel The guilty parties. From left: Williams’ partner Greg Taylor, Peter Williams, owner Raf Blanckaert, builder technician Gavin Tappenden and Raf’s mechanic, Rob This is Mr Blanckaert’s occasional office, offering rather less elbow room than his full time architectural base From every angle, this is one slim and beautiful machine The owner appeared completely at home on the bike, revelling in the noise of open meggas echoing across the Northamptonshire countryside

Williams’ own design of cast alloy wheels) that he rode to finish second behind Giacomo Agostini’s factory MV Agusta in the 1970 Senior TT. No answer on that one yet.

The 750cc power unit and five-speed gearbox are supplied by Mick Hemmings; the cast magnesium wheels come from the original tooling that Williams designed, and the whole is enclosed in the slim fairing with John Player racing colours from the 1973 season.

Each carries its batch number and Peter Williams’ signature on a chassis plate. It is, by any measure, a beautiful motorcycle whose detail work reflects the quality of the job. After Raf had taken up quite a lot of runway time, the bike was packed away in his VW Transporter to head back to Belgium and a place next to the 1970 750 Production Racer that his father bought new.

Part of the protective packaging reflected the racer habits of old, with a double mattress against the van wall. Would the works demonstrator come with a Hypnos mattress to better suit its status, we asked? “Certainly not,” Greg Taylor responded. “It’ll have a Featherbed!” They clearly know their Nortons.

The bike is priced at £65,000 all in. You can find more on www.peterwilliamsmotorcycles.com and hear it in action in the Classic Parade that will support the British Moto GP at Silverstone on August 28-30. CBG CLASSIC BIKE GUIDE || JUNE 2015 15

RIDINGLIFE || GEOFF DUKE

FIRST GENTLEMAN OF RACING A genuine superstar of motorcycle sport has left us.

We recall the highlights of his career WORDS AND PHOTOS BY AlAn CAthCArt

16 JUNE 2015 || CLASSIC BIKE GUIDE

in the Ulster GP and – amazingly – the Italian GP at Monza, where on his much slower single he defeated the four-cylinder Italian bikes on Gilera’s high-speed home track, meant that Duke lost the title by just a single point to Gilera’s lead rider Umberto Masetti. But the following year the tables were turned, and Geoff Duke became world champion in both the 350cc and 500cc classes for Norton, winning both Senior and Junior TT races into the bargain. He repeated the 350cc world title victory in 1952 with a clean sweep of all four GP races – including the Junior TT – but the 500cc Norton single was now seriously outgunned by the Gilera fours.

However, this world championship success earned him acclaim outside the motorcycle community, and Geoff was elected Sportsman of the Year by BBC radio listeners, and was later made an OBE from The Queen in 1953.

A brief but unsuccessful flirtation with car racing followed as a member of the Aston Martin factory team in 1952/53, which he combined with racing motorcycles. Then Duke made a shock switch to his Italian rivals, which was in every way as significant as Giacomo Agostini later swapping from MV Agusta to Yamaha in 1974, and indeed Valentino Rossi from Honda to Yamaha in 2004.

Duke went on to win a hat-trick of 500cc world championships with Gilera, thanks to his work in improving the behaviour of the fast but wayward Italian fours by using what he’d learned riding the slower but better-handling Norton singles.

Geoff’s Gilera career was also punctuated by a six-month ban imposed on him by the FIM at the start of 1956. He and Gilera teammate Reg Armstrong supported the threat of a riders’ strike at the 1955 Dutch TT at Assen, where in spite of the huge crowds in excess of 100,000 fans, the organisers paid the hard-pressed privateers forming the Continental Circus a pittance. Although a new regulation came into effect at the end of the season, compelling organisers to pay all riders starting a GP race a much higher cash sum than before, Duke’s reward for helping bring this about

♠

SIX-TIME WORLD CHAMPION and six-time TT winner Geoff Duke OBE passed away peacefully on Friday, May 1 at his home in the Isle of Man, at the age of 92.

Duke was the first global superstar of Grand Prix racing. He was the first rider to win three successive world championships – the 1953-55 titles on four-cylinder Gileras – and also the first to win two in the same year, when he won both the 350cc and 500cc world crowns in 1951 on Norton Manx singles.

In the 1950s Geoff Duke became a household name all over Europe and the British Commonwealth thanks to his good looks, stylish riding, polite manner... and especially his underdog success. He defeated the four-cylinder Italian multis from Gilera and MV Agusta to win the first three of his six world titles aboard the much less powerful but better-handling Norton singles.

Norton’s directors were far from happy that Duke would earn more than they did if they paid him what he was worth, so he transferred to the Gilera team for twice the salary he was earning at Norton.

At Gilera he swiftly transformed their fast but unruly fours into unbeatable machinery which took him to three more 500cc world crowns. It might have been more, but for a combination of injury and the six-month ban imposed on him by the FIM for daring to support the hard-pressed privateers’ strike for more start money at the 1955 Dutch TT at Assen.

Geoff Duke was also the first rider to wear one-piece racing leathers. He enlisted his local tailor to make the first of the now commonplace lighter and more aerodynamically efficient integral designs to replace the heavy, baggy two-piece race suits. He won the 1950 Senior TT wearing these leathers on his first ride for the Norton factory team, and by the end of that season many other riders had followed suit.

Geoff’s hopes of winning the 500cc world title next time around were dashed when his Dunlop tyres threw a tread at Assen and Spa. But victories

Above left: Geoff Duke with Derek Minter (seated) and John Hartle at Monza test, March 1963

Above right: Geoff Duke on the Gilera four leads Bill Lomas on a Guzzi V8 in the 1956 German GP at Solitude

Winning the 1953 GP des Nations in Italy

CLASSIC BIKE GUIDE || JUNE 2015 17

RIDINGLIFE || GEOFF DUKE

was to be suspended from racing for the first half of the following season. That left him unable to defend his 500cc world title. Imagine the FIM suspending Marc Marquez or Valentino Rossi for such a period – and for such a reason – today.

After this Geoff Duke’s racing career took a downturn, partly because of the ban, partly through unreliability of the Gilera engines, and partly because of an injury sustained in an accident at Imola early in the 1957 season. This allowed Italian teammate Libero Liberati to regain the 500cc world title for Gilera – after which the Italian firm shocked the world by withdrawing from racing, in company with Moto Guzzi and Mondial, between them winners of all four 1957 world championship titles.

This left Geoff without machinery, and although he did race a BMW Rennsport for the German factory in four 1958 GP races, he could not adapt to the unusual handling characteristics of the shaft-drive Boxer twin. Reverting to privateer Nortons, he won the last two of the 33 Grand Prix victories he achieved in his 10-year road racing career at Hedemora in Sweden in 1958, winning both the 350ccc and 500cc Swedish GP races. He continued for one more season in 1959 with privateer Nortons and a 250 Benelli single, retiring from GP racing after the Italian GP that year where he earned a podium finish in third place on his 500cc Manx Norton. After winning three races in one day at the non-championship meeting in Locarno in Switzerland the following week, Duke called it a day and retired from motorcycle racing.

A brief but unsuccessful attempt to resurrect his car racing career ended with a serious crash in Sweden, after which Duke became an hotelier in 18 JUNE 2015 || CLASSIC BIKE GUIDE

Above: Geoff Duke on the grid for the 1959 Ulster GP. He rode a 500 Manx Norton Below: World Champion Geoff Duke (right) congratulates 21-year-old John Surtees after he was beaten by the youngster at Brands Hatch in October 1955

the Isle of Man, where he lived.

In 1963 he was lured back to GP paddocks, after persuading Mr Gilera to resurrect the four-cylinder 500cc racers which last competed in 1957, in order to provide MV Agusta’s sole rider Mike Hailwood with some competition. With Derek Minter and John Hartle riding, victory came early with a one-two success ahead of Hailwood’s MV at the prestigious Imola Gold Cup non-championship race. But then Minter crashed his Norton racing at Brands Hatch and was seriously injured, leading Phil Read to be signed to replace him. A one-two Gilera victory in the Dutch TT was the only time the team’s elderly bikes got the better of the MV Agusta and its star rider, and at the end of the season Scuderia Duke was wound up.

Geoff later became involved in various companies based in the Isle of Man, such as a scooter rental business, a car dealership and a boat company, and was instrumental in setting up the Manxline company that introduced the first roll-on, roll-off ferry service to the island. Later, his son Peter founded Duke Video, at one time the world’s largest publisher of motorsport videos.

Geoff Duke was the supreme racer of his generation, an impeccably behaved, always polite and invariably well-presented patriot who, to foreign enthusiasts, was the quintessential Englishman.

His love of Italy and its people was reciprocated in full, and his contribution to the sport as it struggled to gain acceptance in the post-war era cannot be overestimated. He, more than anyone else, was responsible for putting two-wheeled road racing on the global map. To his widow Daisy and sons Peter and Michael, we extend our sympathies. CBG