Classic Dirt Bike Spring 2025 issue **20 PAGE FREE PREVIEW**

DIFFERENT – GOOD DIFFERENT

FLYING HIGH

COOL CUSTOMER

DIRTbike Honda on the boil

CLASSIC

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#74

An American eagle

ISSUE

Seventy-f ou Spring 20 r 25

A Jolly Season AMCA’S YEAR IN PICS

BONKEY’SBEAUT What could have been…

PLUS

IN THE WORKSHOP * ARCHIVE – C15 DEVELOPMENT

IN IAN BALANCE BERRY

Satisfaction guaranteed It seems as though every aspect of life these days comes with a ‘satisfaction’ survey after it

❝…this will always be at the furthest

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et’s get it out there right away. Service providers need to know if the service they’re providing is working because without feedback how can anyone know if what they do is good, bad or indifferent? It is a subject touched upon occasionally in this column and we all enjoy a bit of positive feedback on whatever we’ve done. Personally, I prefer the much more direct feedback gained from face-to-face contact with readers in this instance, but years ago when I was on the tools such feedback would be about something I’d made or a kitchen I’d fitted. Whilst on the one hand lauding the request for feedback, I question whether or not anyone actually follows up on what’s said in such surveys, and this is a whole different matter of course.

Anyway, what prompted this comment on the survey industry was after a Facebook Messenger call to my youngest lad, a call which lasted less than 10 seconds, but there was a ‘satisfaction survey’ which lasted considerably longer than that.

The gist of my call was to tell him I’d changed a seal in the fork leg of his Fantic, as I’d noticed it weeping during one of my ‘Caring Dad’ episodes as I was observing at my own club’s trial and hauled his bike out for a ride just to make sure it was in prime condition… or was it the only one rideable in the garage? I forget which now…

Ending the call brought forth the quality questionnaire request…

Some of the questions on these surveys are obvious and relevant, while others make

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point away from the back-up vehicle and, in the case of a trials bike, it will be in a gulley…❞ you wonder just who came up with them and why they think it a good idea. Having an occasional abstract mind, I began to wonder what it would be like to flip this survey thing upside down and what my lad’s Fantic would say if it could answer a survey on the attention it received from me?

So, Fantic 201, would you answer a few questions about your experience today?

You would? Good. Are you: Under 200cc?

Over 200cc? Under. What age group are you? 1970-1979, 1980-1989, 1990-1999?

Prefer not to say? 1980-1989. Was the work today essential or cosmetic? Essential… and so on until the final bit of ‘Have you any comments?’ comes up. Here we have a chance to say in a few words any comment which doesn’t fit the guided answer questions preceding. What would the Fantic say if it could? Would it say my mechanical skills were acceptable and backed up with the correct tools for the task, or should I have stuck to woodwork? Naturally, the Fantic can’t fill in a survey but it, along with any other motorcycle, has its own way of expressing client satisfaction… It stops working… this will always be at the furthest point from the back-up vehicle, and, in the case of a trials bike, it will be in a gulley where, if it could fill in the survey, it would state, ‘Mechanical skills zero out of 10.’

If you feel this last bit was written from personal experience then you would be correct, because early in my trials riding, I tried to squeeze an extra trial out of a set of points and condenser on a 250 Montesa. In part this was because I was never very clever at setting up such ignitions and counted it a success if the bike ran after my attention

in this area. The inevitable happened and all sign of a spark disappeared midway through a rocky stream section. North East Centre riders might know of the section, referred to as ‘back of the Moorcock’, with the ‘Moorcock’ being a pub – sadly closed. It is a long way from the road and there was little hope of rescue even once the bike had been hauled up to the track from the gulley it was in.

Even more exciting as the trial was only a mile or three from home, I’d stood down the senior member of the team with the car and trailer and ridden there. Did I mention it was November? No? It was, and blooming cold with it. Also, dear reader, remember this was so long ago, motorcycles had only just been invented and the telecommunications industry was hailing analogue as the new thing with semaphore still around and digital satellite communications reserved for sci-fi films. Eventually reaching the road and the phone box, the emergency 10p came into play and a phone call was made.

Eventually rescue happened, the organisers of the trial were informed I’d be heading home, and there was just the aftermath to deal with… and friendly parental advice along the lines of, ‘Serves you right…’

Thankfully, I wasn’t offered a satisfaction survey to fill in.

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Regulars 03 In Balance Customer satisfaction grabs the editor’s attention this issue… or the surveys we are asked to fill in about our experience.

06 News and Views OK, a quarterly publication, struggles to be news-topical. These days such a role is handled by the glance-andgone internet, but we still fill four pages with juicy news.

42 Subscribe All you need to know about getting CDB to drop on your doormat.

50 Dirt Products

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A selection of bits and pieces which will help you go faster, stay faster longer, and improve your gear changing, as well as stopping when you’re fast enough.

60 JD’s view As expected, someone with a long history of motorcycle involvement has a tale or two… our man relates them here.

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Dirt Talk Once upon a time readers’ letters came by post, in an envelope. These days they’re more likely to be sent electronically, but just as welcome though.

82 Moto Memories – Graham Noyce When Graham Noyce crossed the line at Namur to become World 500cc MX Champion, he ended a 14-year gap between the last Brit to win the title.

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54

Features 11

Twin time The pace in the pre60 MX class is hotting up and a single doesn’t cut it anymore… so Yella Belly Racing went ‘twin’ on a Beezer, of course.

20 Flashback – Montesa Cappra Arthur Browning was invited to ride Montesa’s Cappra for a feature in 1974… Here’s his opinion.

24 From the archive – Beezers in trials Lighter… lighter… and lighter still was the trials mantra. BSA realised this and put trials tyres on their new lightweight C15 roadster.

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34 Bigger equals better?

Hmmm, it depends on who you talk to, but Jock Wilson at Comerfords felt BSA’s Victor Enduro could be a decent trials bike.

38 Keeping cool Using a liquid to maintain a correct working temperature brings many benefits to a dirt bike.

44 Workshop time Lots of activity in the workshop, mainly on getting bikes ready to be registered while waiting on welders.

62 American Eagle Renaming a motorcycle for a particular market isn’t uncommon… Sprite did it with their new 405 for the American market.

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Just in time Using a Bultaco in pre65 events is fraught with difficulty. The Sherpa was around before the cut-off date, but it was a different beast to the Miller design.

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Events 54 Sporting action Feet up, flat-out… Trials and MX action from the world of sport as Andy Withers and Peter Futers point their cameras at riders.

On the cover Caught flying high by Andy Withers is AJS rider Sam Pocock, proving there are more than Triumph twins out there being raced… and the pre60 class is looking healthy with a variety of bikes being raced.

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Want to tell us about a forthcoming event, or have any other dirt bike news to share?

Email CDBEditor@mortons.co.uk or track down the editor at a dirt bike show or event.

Showtime at Telford and Stafford It’s a bit odd to be writing about the Hagon Shocks backed CDB show at Telford International Centre in this issue as it is still a couple of weeks away. Yet by the time the production process happens it will just have gone on sale as the show opens.

Still, in case you get your copy on the morning of the show and thinking, ‘Should I, shouldn’t I?’, if you do go along, you’ll see loads of great dirt bikes

from all eras, and lots of people with the same mind-set as you. There’ll be plenty of bits and inspiration plus our two special guests, Graham Noyce and Mick Andrews. If you don’t go along, read about the show in issue 75 and see what you missed.

There is time to remind you of the Classic MotorCycle Show at Stafford Country Showground on April 26/27.

There’ll be lots of dirt bike bits there,

too, as well as guest of honour Henry Cole, star of television shows such as The Motorbike Show and Find It, Fix It, Flog It. Advance tickets are priced at £16.50, while on-the-gate entry is £21.

Under-16s go free, making it the perfect day out for families. Don’t miss your chance to be part of this unmissable celebration of motorcycling heritage. For tickets and more information, visit www. classicbikeshows.com

Scott Trial dinner Every five years there is a social gathering of trials riders associated with the toughest one-day trial in the world. This association may be as a former rider, current rider, organiser, or simply an enthusiast. The event is The Scott Trial, and the social gathering, The Scott Trial Dinner. Held at the King’s Head, Richmond, last November in support of the Scott Charities, it was well attended by generations young and old, with Teesside’s Gordon McLaughlin reckoned to be the oldest former rider on hand. Master of Ceremonies was former winner Alan Lampkin, a position he inherited when former BSA works rider Tom Ellis handed over the reins.

Alan introduced speakers including Yorkshireman Nick Jefferies and Gloucestershire’s Tony Davis, who regaled the guests with tales of their time in Scott Trials past. By the end of the evening after a flat cap had gone round, the Scott Trial Charities were better off to the tune of £510. Well done to everyone who attended, and we’ll see you in four-and-a-bit years.

Seven former winners were on hand. Their wins are in brackets and from the left are Jonathon Richardson (1), Wayne Braybrook (1), Phil Alderson (4), Alan Lampkin (1), Arthur Lampkin (3), Rob Shepherd (1) and Gerald Richardson (2).

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There’s a fair bit of silverware associated with the Scott Trial and the names engraved on each trophy make for interesting reading.

World trial classic celebration At the last round of the WTC in Ripoll over September 13-15, 2024, the FIM organised a celebration for the 50th anniversary of the World Championship and the 25th anniversary of the Women World Championship. The Works Trials Bikes Owners Group organised a display of 15 genuine championshipwinning bikes. Lined up and on display were bikes from Yrjo Vesterinen’s 1977 Bultaco to Tony Bou’s 2024 machine. The line-up also included two winning machines from the ladies championship.

Among many past and present world champions attending the ceremony and the gala dinner was Tommy Avhala, not seen for a long time, and also some great names from the early days of the Spanish industry, including Pedro Pi and Oriol Bulto.

What a line-up! Championship-winning machines every one.

Members of the Works Trials Bike group, from the left: Patrick Pissis, Joan Forellad, Olivier Barjon, Joan Pere Santure, Valenti Fonsere, Members of the Works Trials Bikes Owners Group.

Spanish off-road legends Oriol Bulto and Pedro Pi.

Don Morley Archive Hitchcocks Motorcycles are thrilled to announce that they are now owners, copyright holders and custodians of the Don Morley photography archive collection. This amazing collection covers more than five decades of motorcycle racing including Grand Prix and Isle of Man TT, as well as off-road events such as the ISDT, Scottish, and many other smaller events.

The Fifties and Sixties are often considered the golden years of GP racing, and this collection has a superb selection of images from that era. Names such as Geoff Duke, John Surtees, Mike Hailwood and Bob McIntyre are just some of the riders that feature in the archive.

There are also excellent images that A montage of images from the Don Morley Archive. depict the many privateers that battled for world championship points. archive, a tall order given an estimated The Seventies, a time of great 750,000 images including monochrome technological change, are extremely film and transparency slides.” well represented with images including Don Morley commented: “I have Jarno Saarinen, Kenny Roberts and greatly admired what Allan and his team Barry Sheene, a fabulous photographic of enthusiasts have done for the Royal documentation of that two-stroke Enfield Marque and we RE enthusiasts for era. In the dirt bike world, greats like a great many years, and hence when Allan Sammy Miller, the Lampkins, and approached me to ask if I might consider Jeff Smith feature, as well as many parting with my lifetime’s work and my lesser-known riders. The collection entire motorcycling picture library, I could contains images that reach into the new not think of anyone I better. millennium, covering over 50 years of “Although even the very thought competition. Allan Hitchcock said: “We of losing my archive was, and still is, are implementing plans to digitise the heartbreaking, I also recognised that all

the good things have to come to an end at some stage and although previously I have turned down numerous such requests from others, in Allan’s instance I did not have to think for long because I genuinely believe he and his team will make my pictures and words far more available to others than I have managed to do over recent times.

“In short, I not only wish him every success with everything he and his team do in whatever context, but also hope I will see my old pictures popping up more often, and in far more places than ever in the care of Allan and his team.”

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Called to The Baa One of the popular two-day trials now attracting large entries is the CDB editor’s own club’s Baa Classic.

Based in the Durham Dales at Edmundbyers, near Consett, this two-day trial features traditional sections with a mix of moorland terrain and rocky streams, and is a good ride out.

The Baa dates for this year are June 28/29, and will be a round of the Sorra Championship. The club is Castleside Trials Club, and entry details are on the club’s website www.castlesidetrialsclub.com The organisers stress that the trial is over two days, with results counting for both days. Castleside Trials Club have five other trials this year and the dates are: March 30 at Lambshield Farm May 11 at Bedburn June 8 at West Butsfield August 23/24, the Baa Modern at Edmundbyers November 2 at Lambshield Farm Entry details on the club website www.castlesidetrialsclub.com

David Braithwaite trickles his 325 Suzuki through the river section at the Baa Classic 2024.

Highland Classic Two-Day Trial Once again, the Inverness DMCC will be holding the Highland Classic Two-Day Trial at Alvie Estate. The date is June 7/8, and entries opened on February 1. This year the trial, billed as the friendliest classic trial in Scotland, will celebrate British Two Strokes.

There’s a slight change to the format as there’s to be a Laird Jamie’s Challenge on the ‘B’ route. This will consist of a reduced number of sections for riders who feel the full course is too much but still want to experience the event. For entry details go to www.idmcc.net or the club’s Facebook page.

Riders prepare for the start at the Highland Classic Two-Day in 2024.

King of the Castle Entries are now open for the Cumbria Twinshock King of the Castle meeting at Farleigh Castle on July 5/6.

This is one of the most anticipated events of the year and regularly

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attracts an entry upwards of 400 riders. Entries can be found via the Go Race website, but you will need to be quick as they go fast.

The second Cumbria Twinshock

meeting at Farleigh is two weeks later, July 19/20, and is the World Vets MX, although entries opened on January 29 so may already be full.

Pre65 Scottish Two-Day

The Next Generation The third and final book on British Motocross

by Geoff Shuttleworth is now available to order by post or pick up at the Hagon-backed Classic Dirt Bike Show at Telford, on the Cumbria Twinshock stand in Hall 3.

The book covers the period 1990-1996 when Kurt Nicoll was breaking records in titles, but there were several other riders all capable of winning, including The cover of Geoff’s new book.

Rob Herring, Paul Malin, Jem Whatley and Paul Cooper.

National Championships.

If you are into facts and The book is £20 if figures it’s all in there, with collected or £24 by post. reports, results, points and Contact Geoff pictures from every round, Shuttleworth by email at and also every British Grand geoff.shuttleworth121@ Prix, and all the other outlook.com

Charterhouse auction dates Charterhouse, the familyrun auctioneers based in Sherborne, Dorset, have sent in the dates for their 2025 Classic Motorcycle Auctions: March 13 June 5 October 9

If you’re interested in going along or having them handle a sale for you, then contact them via their website www.charterhouseauction.com and go to the classic motorcycle section.

By the time this is published the entries will have closed, the ballots done, and successful riders will have been notified they have the option of accepting a rider in the 2025 Pre65 Scottish TwoDay Trial. Riders shouldn’t need reminding that the trial contains roadworks so your motorcycle and rider should be road legal. Based

in Kinlochleven, it will be on May 2/3, and it will be sunny… like last year… but don’t blame the club or CDB editor if it isn’t! The club would like to remind spectators that there is only permission for riders and officials to be on the trial route, so please don’t follow your mate, or have a go round, as it will jeopardise the event

Ben Butterworth tackling Caolasnacoan in 2024.

Galloway extra

For motocross enthusiasts the Galloway Club will hold two other motocross events in 2025.

April 6 – A classic/ twinshock motocross event incorporating a round of The Northern Classic & Twinshock Championship at Dalbeattie near Dumfries.

Sunday, October 19 – A

classic/twinshock 100 Mile Team Scramble at Dalbeattie near Dumfries.

The club will also host a full series of trials throughout the year, including a club championship, as well as a varied range of road runs. See their website www.gallowaymcc.com for more info.

Northern Classic and Twinshock Championship After a few unexpected event cancellations last year, the Northern Classic and Twinshock Motocross Championship is all set for 2025 with six rounds planned.

The Scottish Classic Racing MC join the Galloway MCC, Westmorland MC and the Yorkshire Twinshock Club in hosting an event.

Over 250 riders enjoyed the fun last season and there is no registration fee for the series, but riders must be a member of one of the clubs.

A big thanks goes out to the 2024 sponsors, Ellie Brown at Wulfsport, Pete Williamson at Bury Motorcycles, and Dave Ellis at DLE Construction, and if anyone would like to support the series going forward, please contact the above clubs at the Telford Classic Dirt Bike show.

The classes include Pre 60/65/68/78 for the classic bikes and 125/250 and agerelated classes for the twinshocks.

The provisional dates and venues are as follows:

April 6 April 27

Galloway MCC at Dalbeattie Westmorland MC at Crooklands Showground, near Kendal June 22 Yorkshire TSC at Grange Moor, Huddersfield July 13 Westmorland MC at Helsington, Kendal August 3 Scottish Classic RMC at Bassenthwaite, Keswick August 10 Yorkshire TSC at Brookhouse, Lancaster

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It’s back!

The Galloway Motorcycle Club are delighted to announce that they will return to Drumlanrig Castle on August 22/24. This flagship event will once again be generously sponsored by AMD Contract Services.

Over the weekend there will be grasstrack racing, classic and twinshock motocross, motorcycle trials, road runs, static bike displays, lawnmower racing, and much, much more. It really will be an event for all the family.

The fun starts with road runs, one on the Thursday evening for any motorcycle and another on the Friday morning for classic bikes only. Friday evening sees the start of the on-track action with Drumlanrig’s muchcelebrated grasstrack event taking place. Saturday and Sunday will have the motocrossers vying for honours on a fast-flowing, spectator-friendly track in the shadow of the castle itself.

Saturday evening entertainment will include ‘The Gathering’, when a selection of motocross champions, sponsors, celebrities and enthusiasts from different eras of the sport will be interviewed on stage about their experiences in the rough-and-tumble world of motocross. And, watch out, there might even be a world champ (or two) in the mix. It should be fun! Later on, the live band will be playing in the beer tent.

Sunday will see the ‘feet-up’ guys and girls competing for honours on a range of varied and challenging sections suitable for all abilities. The trial takes place within the spectacular landscape of the castle grounds and is open to modern, twinshock and classic machines. The award ceremony will take place in the main marquee early on Sunday evening.

So, if you’ve been to Drumlanrig before or if it’s your first time you really won’t be disappointed. You can visit the castle and gardens, witness some seriously competitive motorcycle sport, or enjoy some of the additional activities on offer. And, of course, there will be food outlets, a beer tent and live music. Camping is available at the circuit.

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For further news on Drumlanrig and all events for this year go to www.gallowaymcc. com or visit the club Facebook page.

Scrambles entries opened on January 15.

Competitors can email Geoff Shuttleworth for entry info at geoff.shuttleworth121@outlook. com

BSA A10 MXer

Rocket power Because BSA had the iconic Gold Star single as its flagship MXer in the Fifties, the company’s twin range was overlooked as far as scrambling was concerned.

Words and pics: Tim Britton Media Ltd Archive pics: Mortons Archive

T

here is little doubt classic sport has a wide range of motorcycles in it and the reasons for choosing a particular make or model can vary considerably. Sometimes the choice is to do with seeing what’s winning, other times the choice is simply because a bike is available and could be pressed into action. One of the biggest reasons for settling on a certain model though is because it fits in with what’s already being raced.

Just such a situation happened with Micky Allen, whose Gold Star we featured last issue. The Goldie is a fine motorcycle, the mainstay of scrambling in the Fifties when anyone who was anyone had to be on the sporting single to have any chance of winning.

Problem is, the Goldie was never an easy machine to look after and even BSA found in the early Sixties its successes in scrambling or MX were increasingly more to do with who was on it as it came to the end of its working life.

Above: The pre60 class tends to have machines which reflect what was being raced in the day.

When the classic scene fired up Gold Stars, other big singles also got a new lease of life and with fewer restrictions on capacity, for example, most were working way better than they ever did in the day. Still, history does often repeat itself and the big singles began to be outclassed again, not by foreign two-strokes as happened in the Sixties but by twincylinder machines. The Allen equipe – Micky and his dad Harold – knew in order to remain competitive in the pre60 class a twin was going to be needed. For BSA enthusiasts such as the Allens there was little doubt the twin would have to come from Small Heath, though there was a short period when a unit Triumph 3TA trials bike was built and used successfully.

However, for the pre60 scrambles class the bike would have to be BSA, which meant A7 or A10. There’s nothing wrong with the A7 and in fact it has a decent competition pedigree, including ISDT gold medals and winning the Daytona 200 but it’s only 500cc. 

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The Allen Goldie was already at 604cc and while it may be possible to take the A7 capacity up a bit, getting to 600cc would likely make for a fragile engine.

As standard, BSA’s A10 twin was already 40cc bigger than the well-fettled Goldie that Micky was racing, so was an obvious choice.

Speaking of choice, there is quite a bit of choice where 650 BSAs are concerned, though some are more suitable than others. There is the Golden Flash, with its all-iron top end; then there’s the Road Rocket, with an alloy head and some engine tuning. This was followed by the Super Rocket for 1958 which had even more tuning and benefited from some redesign by BSA. Like its competitors, BSA also produced special models for the USA market and the Spitfire Scrambler, introduced in 1957, would have been a good starting point but even in the Fifties it was pretty rare.

Arguably BSA’s final A10 model, the Rocket Gold Star – with its almost exact copy of the Gold Star single frame – would have been allowable in the pre60 class as it meets the ‘of the type’ criteria, even if it wasn’t available until early 1962. The fact there was no need for the oil pump kink in the lower frame rail on the twin was the only difference between them.

The Allens though prefer to work within the rules and the rules say ‘before 1960’ so the chosen base for this stunning 650 BSA twin is a 1958 Super Rocket.

BSA had housed its ‘A range’ twin in a swinging arm frame from the introduction of the 1954 range and for 1958 had improved the frame so it was getting really close to the Gold Star type. There were other improvements for 1958 and the crank, for instance, was beefier and had a sludge trap in it; the timing side bearing it ran in was uprated too, but this was of little concern here. So, all in all, a decent and legal start for the pre-1960 class.

To cope with the stresses of racing, BSA’s swinging arm really needs a bit of attention and it can twist

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Above: A neat and tidy engine bay, though the twin engine is a little heavier than the Goldie single the Allens also race.

Below: Paying attention to the chain line and how it works will result in a much nicer suspension action and will pay dividends in how long chains last.

Norton Roadholder forks were a popular fitment to competition bikes in the Fifties. These have had quite a bit of work done to them.

under everyday road use, which was something Harold Allen had found when MoTing BSA models.

Suffice to say this swinging arm is more resistant to twisting. Up at the front end the standard BSA steering head bearing, a cup and cone affair probably on its limit in road use, is replaced by an SRM taper roller kit which vastly improves the front end of the BSA. The standard A10 yokes are okay but the forks fitted into them are a bit special, being made up from 35mm Marzocchi stanchions in lightly modded Norton sliders – which sounds a simple thing but doesn’t reflect the amount of work which has gone

BSA A10 MXer

Folding footrests are mounted in the original position and also for the stop for the rear brake lever.

into making these forks work. Thanks to this work it means the front end isn’t outclassed by the Ohlins units on the rear in suspension performance.

Both single and twin raced by Micky are pretty similar in rolling chassis, which means should an incident occur then bits can be changed; obviously not the engine, but you know what I mean. Which means the rear wheel on the A10 is the same as the Goldie being built around a BSA B25 qd or ‘crinkle’ hub… crinkle because it has a distinctive shape to the central hub. Already with an alloy brake plate the hub is even lighter thanks to some fine fettling by Harold.

Laced on to it is an alloy rim from Central Wheel and the rear wheel is finished off with a Dunlop 110/100 tyre.

Up at the front end there is a Grimeca 7in full-width hub of the type used by a number of manufacturers in the Fifties. This one on the A10 has had the same double bearing modification as on their other bike so there’s no chance of it wilting under pressure. Again, an alloy rim has been laced on by Central Wheel and a front Dunlop MX tyre provides the rubber. Using parts such as these helps in making the twin lighter and while it’s never going to be a

Above: To ensure the engine lasts as long as possible an oil filter is plumbed into the oil system.

Below left: Aluminium engine plates all help to keep the overall weight down; a few carefully drilled holes carve off a few grams here and there and these savings add up.

lightweight bike, vital pounds are carved off.

Also helping in the weight saving are the fuel and oil tanks as here steel has been replaced with aluminium. Sitting on top of the frame is the petrol tank, which is of the style made by Lyta in the Fifties and Sixties and has become known as the Gold Star pattern even though it was seen on many other models. It’s big enough for a couple of gallons of the preferred super unleaded with a drop of AvGas in the mix. To combat vibration the tank is rubber mounted and has a central bolt fixing which holds it securely in place yet allows for a little movement to prevent splitting of the alloy. Filler cap is the quick-release  Monza type. With the frame being all welded and

TOURER TO RACER Team Yella Belly Raiders consists of Harold Allen (left) and his son Micky Allen.

BSA’s 650 twin range began in 1950 with the Golden Flash, a solid and reliable tourer with a reasonable turn of speed and suitable for sidecar hauling too. Its 70mm x 84mm cast iron engine delivered 34bhp, was firstly housed in a rigid, then a plunger frame and came in either black or beige. There was no factory pretence of performance even if the motorcycle could top 90mph. Not unnaturally there were calls for a version with a bit more oomph and this came with the Road Rocket a few years later, by which

time the rolling chassis had become swinging arm. The Road Rocket had an alloy cylinder head, higher compression pistons and a racier camshaft and in this form it would also become the Rocket (or Spitfire Scrambler for the USA market). Rather confusingly the press called the export model Rocket Scrambler yet factory brochures used the ‘Spitfire Scrambler’ name. Such confusion would carry on until the end of the A10 range with the Rocket Gold Star, or A10 Gold Star Twin or… well, you get the picture.

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Inside the Norton sliders are modern suspension bits and the massive clamp helps keep the forks from twisting.

with no seat pillar there’s plenty of room under the seat for an alloy box to hold the oil. This one was made by Harold Allen and is shaped to go under the air filter which keeps the capacity up. It also has a hi-flo oil filter plumbed in so the oil is kept clean and fresh, which all helps the engine’s reliability.

When we spoke about the engine Harold allowed it was reasonably standard and not especially highly tuned compared with other engines and even their own Goldie. Main reason for this is simple pragmatism; there aren’t as many bits for the A10, as certain other makes and the desirable bits are becoming scarce. For instance, the thick flange barrels which stand up to the stresses of racing are heading towards the unobtainium category. In this project they started with the revised A10 Super Rocket introduced for 1958. It addressed some of the concerns the Road Rocket had when being uprated for competition work and made for a much better engine to begin the work on. Already with a beefier crank introduced in the late Fifties redesign, the Allen A10 also benefits from SRM’s roller bearing conversion. This replaces the plain bush, standard on even the high-performance twins, and also moves the oil feed to the end of the crank rather than feeding it through a bush. Gone too are BSA’s standard con rods and pistons –instead there are Thunder Race billet rods with Italian-made pistons and while the compression ratio is a little higher It’s a little higher, has a little more suspension travel but still mostly pre60 BSA.

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BSA A10 MXer

HOTTING UP THE A10 Making BSA’s A10 go a bit quicker is a trade-off, requires a bit of thought and will often depend on the actual model of A10 being used and what it’s being used for. As this is a scrambles feature then we’ll say the ideal would be a flexible motor with plenty of grunt through the rev-range.

Regular servicing is important, as is keeping fresh oil circulating. There is plenty of information out there and BSA produced a tuning leaflet – love to see one if anyone has a copy – and there are alternative camshafts, pistons and so on. Some things such as the thick-flange barrels are a bit scarce and experience in the 60 years since the non-unit machine was a current model have produced some modifications which are reckoned to be a good idea for hard use. Biggest of these mods is the main bearing conversion from bush to needle rollers with an oil feed routed through the crankshaft end. Don’t forget the simple task of ensuring the wheels turn easily, there’s no friction on any shafts or the brakes are grabbing, all of which can sap power and slow a bike down.

than it would be, it’s not overly high as this engine is built for reliability and longevity rather than ultimate power. With BSAs having a single cam at the rear to operate both inlet and exhaust cams there’s not as much potential to tweak the cam timing as with, say, a Triumph. Instead cam timing is altered by replacement cams ground to different settings; the one fitted here is by Newman Racing and it suits the rider’s needs very well.

Part of BSA’s redesign of its A10 sporting motor was to pay attention to the cylinder head used on the Super Rocket. Already in aluminium alloy for the Road Rocket, BSA altered the port design for the

Above: It isn’t an easy task to make a non-unit engine look this clean and tidy, there’s so many bits to tuck away.

Left: BSA produced several versions of its qd rear wheel. This one happens to be from a B25 but is the same basic unit which originated in the late Forties.

Super Rocket as there had been some inlet bias which could cause issues. This particular cylinder head has been further modified by having been through Len Paterson’s Cylinder Head Workshop and carried SRM’s WS performance valves. The rest of the motor is pretty much BSA and has been carefully assembled so all parts work to their best ability.

Like its single cylinder stablemate, the A10 has a well put together gearbox and the Allen lads cite the difficulty of finding a decent layshaft which is the key to sorting a good gearbox. Naturally they were a little canny on what the overall gearing they used was, but the cluster itself is the standard road ratio.

Obviously being a separate engine and gearbox rather than a complete unit the two components need to be joined. Most non-unit construction engines are joined by a chain case which could be aluminium or pressed steel as standard, though aftermarket accessories could be had in glass fibre or carbon fibre laminates. Here it is the A10 polished alloy cases being used. Inside the cases though there sits a Bob Newby belt drive kit instead of a steel clutch drum with heavy steel plates and a steel sprocket. The only problem with a belt drive the Allens have experienced came when using a primary cover rather than a chain case. The cover helped the 

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clutch run cooler but also allowed some grit to be caught by the belt, which did it no good at all. Once the primary drive was better protected then there’s been no grit ingress at all.

Traditionally non-unit engines were mostly powered by magneto ignition units: self-contained, self-powered, turn the engine over and a spark is produced. When magnetos work, they work well; when they don’t work, then they’re a nightmare.

Relatively recent developments have seen the creation of electronic magnetos which follow the same self-contained principle as the originals but are ultra-reliable. Built under the BTH name, these electronic magnetos are a direct replacement for the standard fitment – the only difference is they power a tiny ignition coil which then sends a spark to the plug (or plugs if it’s a twin).

The job of giving this spark something to ignite is handled by a modern Amal Mk1 Premier Concentric carburettor, a 1000 series and with a 32mm choke.

When Amal developed the Concentric over the Monobloc in the Sixties the company was pressed by manufacturers into producing ‘…a two-quid carb which would last out the warranty period…’ This didn’t sit well with Amal in the Sixties nor with Burlen Fuel Systems, which took on Amal quite a few years ago. The company’s upgraded Premier version is as good a carb as it gets and certainly way better than the Sixties original.

Speaking with Harold Allen about the fine details of the A10 build, he stated he’s not a great fan of stainless steel fasteners: “I get high-tensile engineering quality ones which don’t stretch or strip their threads,” he says. He rounded off our chat by saying the A10 has been reliable but he doesn’t neglect the maintenance side of preparation and if there are any issues they’re dealt with straightaway.

Above: Creating a good gearbox isn’t as easy as it used to be… parts are becoming scarce. Note the modern kick-start welded to the original boss.

Left: The cylinder head has been over to the Cylinder Head Shop and contains a few improvements. Also note the heat barrier washer between the carb and inlet tract, makes a big difference in fuel settings.

Right: Fitting a twin exhaust neatly is a fiddly task. This one was made ‘in-house’ and has a simple but effective silencer on the end.

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BSA A10 MXer

YELLA BELLY RAIDERS Micky and Harold Allen race under the team name Yella Belly Raiders which comes from the Lincolnshire nickname of Yellowbelly to describe people from the county. The actual origination of the nickname is disputed and there are a number of suggestions as to where it comes from but the most likely is the uniform of the Lincolnshire Regiment at one time had a yellow belt or band around the wearer’s middle. What isn’t under dispute is Micky Allen’s successes in the AMCA Pre60 class and he finished 2024 as pre60 champion. He was also 2022 pre60 champion but didn’t race in 2023.

This is the factory pic of the Super Rocket and at the risk of upsetting BSA A10 owners, I rather prefer the Allens’ version.

Note the clamps holding the two parts together…

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Above: Controls are modern and Venhill’s sidepull throttle is popular with racers, as are Domino levers.

Left: Hmmm… I wonder what ’bars are used…

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Flashback!

Classic Cappra It’s never easy to impress Arthur Browning, but Montesa’s 250 Cappra VR managed the feat Words Tim Britton Media Ltd Pics Mortons Archive

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equirements for a dirt bike test: A dirt bike – pretty obvious, really; a handy rider, two is better; finally, somewhere to test it. Oh, and freezing weather… Seriously, all dirt bike tests are done in atrocious weather. Want to end a drought or herald in freezing temperatures? Organise a dirt bike shoot for a paper.

In March 1974, MotorCycle filled these requirements when it conducted a test of Montesa’s latest Cappra VR, which was to be raced in the coming season by Peter Mathia. While Peter did take to the track, impressions of the bike were to be given by Midlands all-rounder Arthur Browning and the place this would happen was Cuerden Park near Preston, Lancashire, where a Siberian wind was blowing in and making things fresh.

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Above: Straight from the crate and a stunning performer as well as a good looker, Montesa’s 1974 250 Cappra VR

This test had been arranged during the previous weekend’s Walsall motorcycle show, and the 250 Cappra had taken pride of place on Montesa importer Jim Sandiford’s stand where Arthur Browning had straddled the saddle of a Montesa scrambler for the first time. The bike literally had been taken from the stand to the Sandiford van and hauled out at Cuerden without so much as a preliminary fire-up. As it was to be his race bike, it was deemed polite to let Peter Mathia do the first few laps to settle the engine in and then check over the bike before Arthur took over the handlebars.

One of the changes for 1974 was the front engine mount having bolted-on plates rather than a welded lug and, as such, had three bolts… as a clonking