Classic Bike Guide - October 2018

BUY  SELL  RIDE  RESTORE

OCTOBER 2018

No. 330 October 2018 £4.30 UK Off-sale date 31/10/2018

PRINTED IN THE UK

GREEVES ESSEX TWIN BUYING GUIDE // STRIP YOUR TWOSTROKE // BSA B31 RESTORATION // MALLE MILE // CAFE RACER CUP // SHETLAND CLASSIC // THE CLASSIC TT // MIKE HAILWOOD REPLICA

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Contents

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From the archive

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Ariel racer

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Sammy Miller goes giant-hunting on his Aerial One man’s mission to create a homage to an early road racer – for the road

Subscribe!

It’s cheaper, you get it delivered before it’s in the shops and we even throw in a rather splendid T-shirt!

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News

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Shetland classic

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Shows, deals and more in our world CBG (well, Oli) braved the miles to bring you some great bikes from the most Northerly classic show in the UK

The ultimate replica

Got £110,000 you need to spend? How about a true replica of Hailwood’s TT-winning Ducati?

Young guns – Malle Mile and Café Racer Cup Fancy a new type of bike weekend?

We try out the Malle Mile and the Café Racer Cup – and have a brilliant time

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Classic TT

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Buying Guide – Norton Dominator Model 99

What we found at this year’s Classic TT festival

Great name – but does the 600cc twin live up to it?

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Buying guide – Greeves Essex twin

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Archive poster

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Buying guide – Suzuki T250 Hustler

These can be cracking bikes, but what are they like to live with?

Greeves in flight, with Dave Bickers as pilot

Quite simply, one of the best early Japanese twins

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Steve Cooper

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Paul Miles

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Paul D’Orleans

Riding hundreds of pre-1929 bikes 3600 miles across America? Of course Paul is joining in

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Competition – show us your bike!

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How to – Strip and rebuild a two-stroke

What’s on

There’s still sun and the nights are still holding out, so get out there

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BSA B31 restoration

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Reader ads

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Next month

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Frank’s last word

Letters

Let us know your stories and send in your photographs

We’ve teamed up with Carole Nash to pick the best photograph of your bike – and you could have your bike on their stand at a premier bike show as well as your photograph beautifully mounted and framed

This month we look into what it takes to strip a two-stroke twin

Products

We test screwdrivers, pens and barrels, so you know what’s good and what isn’t – like Oli’s ‘too cheap to refuse’ valve compressor…

How to photograph your bike – the professional We get one of the best in the business to share his secrets to a great bike photgraph

Some days Steve wishes he didn’t have a workshop…

Paul is turning to the world of really old bikes; and likes what he sees

What we’ve been up to

Steve’s been repairing a tank, Oli has been ripping a Z650 apart, while Matt can't remember where he’s put anything...

From tired but complete to better than new – we followed Tony Clements through his B31 story Beyond here lies the promise of the bike you’ve been missing…

We’ll bring you Triumph’s Tiger Cub, a BSA Trackmaster, Honda’s Black Bomber, BMW K75 and more Frank’s chums leave him a little bewildered…

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From our archive

Here we see Sammy Miller on his Ariel Arrow attempting to stave off the AJS CSR twin behind, at the 1960 Thruxton 500 mile race. Miller was involved with Ariel both in

road racing and trials, until the company became part of BSA. The Thruxton 500 mile was incredibly important to the manufacturers to highlight the reliability of their

machines at a time where the TT was becoming the domain of racebikes.

The quarter-litre two-stroke would have had its work cut out to keep the big twin behind,

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especially at the fast Thruxton circuit – but at a twistier track Miller’s small size, skill and the lightweight nature of the Arrow could make a real giant-killing team.

If you haven’t already been, treat

yourself to a visit to Sammy Miller’s museum in New Milton, Hampshire.

It’s a great experience and a gorgeous part of the country.

For more information see sammymiller.co.uk

mortonsarchive.com

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Welcome

Note to self – be happy with what you’ve got AS YOU MAY well do, I scout the classifieds, checking those small ads for the chance of finding that perfect bike before anyone else gets the chance; it tickles my ageing fancy. I also check the dealer ads, I check the auctions and even the scary world of eBay. For what? Well, to be frank, I’m not quite sure. Something shiny, something different: something else.

Currently I have a hankering for a Triumph pre-unit twin, after giving my Trident or Rocket 3 fantasy a rest to the behest of my bank account. I did enquire about the value of my organs, but a misspent youth put paid to that…

My original plan last year was simple.

Buy a bike that could sum up British classic motorcycling in one. So start with a single, spend some time with it and then cast it aside for a unit twin. I then intended to upgrade to a pre-unit twin, eventually ending with a triple. Then back to wherever I felt happiest and stick with it.

Made sense to me.

A B31 came up with good history.

Pretty little thing, if somewhat mundane and slightly rough around the edges, so it suited me fine. Old enough to be pre-unit, magneto-equipped and manual

timing; but reliable enough for me to be reasonably confident I would not only get to where I was going, but return also. It was also clearly not standard with its alloy mudguards so just like mud they should deflect the rivet counters. They don’t seem to bother with mere everyday bikes, anyway. A deal was struck.

My insurance renewal turned up last month, signifying one year’s ownership.

3241 miles, three breakdowns (all fixed at the side of the road), two oil changes, two tyres, one carb gasket, four pillions – two of which have since bought classics, countless off-road forays, dozens of bike meets, two hill climbs, one dirt track race and one Motogymkhana round. Who needs a Goldstar or a Vincent?

My daughter and I loaded it up and headed down to Suffolk for ‘The Tripout’, a relaxed chopper festival. One 16-yearold and what they class as ‘essentials’, camping gear, beer and tools were carried in a somewhat precarious manner, but we arrived without a glitch. Parked in amongst some incredible bikes (alright I have a vintage chopper fetish) with months, years of work in them, the Beeza sat next to a modified, rapid WD M20 and both gained

many an admiring glance and a few nice comments. Beer was had, music was enjoyed and bikes gawped at.

We felt proud. And I felt guilty. Why am I always looking for the ‘next bike’ when mine is loyal, from the period I want, will easily cover 100-mile journeys, happily carry a pillion, is a hoot to ride and still gets the thumbs up from others.

Racing Velocettes, desirable Hondas and concours Nortons are all lovely, but I for one can’t afford them. I like using my Plain Jane B31 with its rusty tank and non-standard mudguards even more now.

I've ridden thousands of bikes (as I write this I've been trying out a Zero electric bike capable of more than 100mph) and yet my 350 provides me with a smile everytime.

But I suppose there’s no harm in looking…

Hope you’re still enjoying the good weather.

Be good

Matt Hull editor@classicbikeguide.com

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Ariel racer Hugh Ramsey may have dipped in and out of Ariel ownership throughout his time, but the passion has always been there. Starting with a box of assorted parts, he’s built a beautiful special that oozes character WORDS AND PHOTOGRAPHY STUART URQUHART

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H

when I was 12 years old – a Huntmaster 500 and a ugh (The Prez) Ramsay has a deep blue rigid VB; the latter I fell instantly in love with. Both passion for Ariel motorcycles and has were owned by our local garage proprietor ‘Harry the been infatuated with the marque ever Spanner’, and I pestered him at every opportunity to since he was a lad. Now that Hugh is enjoying his middle years, the Ariel ember let me sit and play on his blue VB – we became good still glows brightly. Presently he is the proud owner of no friends and he instilled within me a lifelong appreciation of Ariel. less than four Ariels – a 1939 VB 600 outfit, 1957 Red “Then one day, at 19 years young, I bought my own Hunter VH 500 and a 1957 500 HT bench project that Ariel VB600 and sidecar. I used it to impress the birds patiently awaits his attention (and that of my camera). and the bees, and even took my outfit away on weekend However, when a picture of Hugh’s 1939 Red Hunter camping trips. I soon learned from our village postman 500 Racer popped up on Facebook it became my (and Ariel enthusiast) that Harry the Spanner fancied mission to photograph and bag its story for CBG. my VB. So, impulsively, I sold it on to Harry in order to As many readers will have observed from the raise funds for a holiday with my girlfriend – a decision selection of photos, Hugh’s bike is oozing patina like that I would later live to regret; for I missed my old VB honey from a comb. It is simply delicious. Heads turn long before the girlfriend and holidays had become wherever this old master is parked, and jaws drop at distant memories. the sound of its passing – usually at Hugh’s downtown pub in the estuary village of Kincardine on Forth. His REUNITED ONCE AGAIN Red Hunter just looks so appealing, richly cloaked in its “So I bought a decrepit, non-running Ariel Red Hunter mature paintwork and tarnished chrome. And like any 500, and restored it after a fashion,” Hugh was careful priceless relic, this old racer appears to have originality to emphasise. “I then added the sidecar from the VB and history indelibly stamped all over its oily skin. that I had sold to Harry, before having to remove it once But, as the old adage goes: ‘Appearances can be again when crafty old Harry flashed a wad of oil-stained deceptive.’ Which I discovered, is very much the case bank notes under my nose. So my old VB and sidecar with Hugh’s convincing classic racer – for its antiquity were once again reunited, but now with Harry the has been expertly forged.

Cunning Spanner,” Hugh mockingly growled.

“Not long after, I swapped my restored Red Hunter FASCINATING STORY for a Rocket Gold Star, and I ended up being Ariel-less From the outset I was looking forward to learning for a very long time. Several bikes came and went, but I all about this attractive racer’s heritage – only to be always yearned for my old VB outfit.” dumbfounded when Hugh revealed that his lovely Ariel So, Hugh launched a campaign to hassle Harry the was built from boxes of unrelated parts and spares he Spanner into selling the VB outfit back to him and 28 had unearthed on the autojumble trail. What follows is years later he relented and Hugh was reunited with his its fascinating story...

“As a boy I was brought up on outfits – that’s sidecars beloved VB outfit. Hugh then signed up to the Scottish Ariel Owners’ Club which holds section meetings just to you and me,” winked Hugh. “I had a BSA M20, yards from his front door and then began the hunt for AJS Model 20 and an Ariel VB outfit and I travelled another project – but most specifically for an Ariel everywhere on them – especially the VB outfit. Trips to single. Enter another of Hugh’s biker friends and the country, weekend camping with the lads, and runs one who happened to own the local legend that was to Anstruther for traditional fish suppers at the UK’s ‘Martin’s Shed’ – a ramshackle building rumoured to be most famous fish and chip shop – my formative years stacked to the rafters with old classic motorcycles (you were happy times! know the sort!).

“I have lived in Kincardine for all of my life and I Hugh went on to explain that his friend Martin was came across my first Ariel(s) at our local village garage

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