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Class winning Johnny Brittainâ€™s Velo racer Royal Enfield HIGH SPEED SUPER SINGLE

LEGENDARY TRIALS MACHINE HNP 331

MAY 2018

CIRCULATES THROUGHOUT THE WORLD

Stand out out! NORTON DOMINATOR 99

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The Th last hurrah TRIUMPH TR65 THUNDERBIRD PL LUS:

Matchless G80 Universal flat-twin BSA A7 & sidecar Triumph 5TA BSA Empire Star 1947 SSDT Grigg v-twin

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Many years ago, I was instructed to never mention the weather in columns such as this, as it smacked of having nothing else to say. Well, I’ve long followed that advice but I’m going to make an exception this issue, because, basically, weather has dominated so much of what we’ve done – or not done – this month. Our base in Horncastle had a few days of isolation, with skeleton staff able to get in to work (people like me who walk, basically; many roads were impassable) which meant that everything this month has been a little bit of a struggle And then, just when it all seemed to have cleared off, back it came on Pioneer Run weekend. I was staying in south London, the intention being to drive down to Brighton early Sunday; an Oxford-based friend called me at quarter to eight in the morning, to report he couldn’t get his van off the drive, so no run for him. I made it down to Brighton, and greeted the 100-odd hardy souls who’d managed to battle down to the seafront. But goodness it was cold, with snow on the beach and a biting wind. We’ll have a report on the run next month, best we can. It’s all become really frustrating. I’m so keen to get out and start riding and just when it starts to feel a little as if spring has sprung, then there’s rumours of more incoming bad weather. Still, we’ve been looking at the calendar hopefully, planning events and crossing our fingers that things get better sooner rather than later. The other problem is I spend far too long plotting and trailing through adverts, well aware I really need less motorcycles, not more, but ignoring common sense. I also have various ‘collaborators’ in my often hair-brained schemes/plots, and before we know it we’re talking ourselves into buying (though not actually buying; it’s basically a virtual reality (VR) game!) all sorts of things. Still, with a bit of luck the weather is on an upward trajectory and rather than VR, we can have actual reality and start to get a few miles of real riding in. And on the issue of luck – if you are possessed of such and take the time to complete our survey (see page eight) then you might be able to claim yourself a brand-new, rather nice crash helmet or pair of gloves in our free-to-enter draw. So when spring finally does get here, you’ll be kitted up and ready to go.

PAGE 18

JAMES ROBINSON Editor

Contributors Tim Britton, Rachael Clegg, Jonathan Hill, Roy Poynting, Richard Rosenthal, Martin Squires, Jerry Thurston, Alan Turner, Phil Turner, Andy Westlake, Steve Wilson. THE CLASSIC MOTOR CYCLE (USPS:710-470) is published monthly by Mortons Media Group Ltd., PO Box 99, Horncastle, Lincolnshire LN9 6LZ UK . USA subscriptions are $63 per year from Motorsport Publications LLC, 7164 Cty Rd N #441, Bancroft WI 54921. Periodical Postage is paid at Bancroft, WI and additional entries. Postmaster: Send address changes to THE CLASSIC MOTOR CYCLE, c/o Motorsport Publications LLC, 7164 Cty Rd N #441, Bancroft WI 54921. 715-572-4595 chris@classicbikebooks.com

CONTENTS ISSUE | MAY 2018

Archive photograph .......................................... 6 News ................................................................... 8 Letters ............................................................. 14 Subscribe and save ........................................ 18 Norton Dominator 99 .................................... 20 Velocette MSS racer ....................................... 26 Grigg V-twin ................................................... 34 Triumph TR65 Thunderbird.......................... 40 BSA A7 and sidecar ........................................ 47 Matchless G80 ................................................ 52 Universal flat-twin ......................................... 57 Royal Enfield Bullet trials.............................. 62 Closer look – 1947 SSDT................................. 68 Peter Duke interview ..................................... 74 Men who mattered – Gilbert Smith.............. 76 Triumph 5TA rebuild ..................................... 78 Roy Poynting column .................................... 82 Sketchbook travels ......................................... 84 You were asking.............................................. 86

Jerry Thurston column................................... 89 Restoration guide – BSA Empire Star ........... 90 Technical feature ........................................... 92 Next month ...................................................110 Diary..............................................................112 Classic camera.............................................. 114

POST: The Classic MotorCycle, PO Box 99, Horncastle, Lincolnshire LN9 6LZ EMAIL: jrobinson@mortons.co.uk

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» Every issue willwill be be sent hothot offoff thethe press andand delivered straight to your house » Every issue sent press delivered straight to your house » You’ll never miss an an action-packed issue or supplement again » You’ll never miss action-packed issue or supplement again THE CLASSIC MOTORCYCLE | MAY 2018

No double hallelujah for Cohen 6

THE CLASSIC MOTORCYCLE | MAY 2018

Classic archive Clas

AJS enjoys a good couple of days at the 1931 South African TT, with multiple wins and places, although Leonard Cohen – 350cc winner – retired in the 500c race.

stop by Cohen to replenish (or repair?) his AJS is eagerly observed in the 1931 South African TT, a meeting run over two days and one which was of large importance to the British manufacturers, as evidenced by the quality of machinery sent over to contest it, as well as the coverage afforded by The Motor Cycle – seven pages over two issues were devoted to the event, held on the first two days of 1931. Motor Cycling wasn’t quite so generous with the event, giving over only half a page, though that journal did highlight how well AJS had done (first in the 500cc and 350cc classes, second in 350cc and 250cc races, and third in the 500cc class) in what was to be a tumultuous year for the still – in early 1931 – Wolverhampton maker. The accompanying image is of Durban rider Len Cohen in the 500cc race – held on January 2 – on the same machine he’d used the day before to win the 350cc class. It was reported that the cammy Ajay was ‘sent over specially from the works’ for the man who’d won the 1928 SA TT and ridden for the firm in the 1927 and 1928 Isle of Man TTs (he came eighth in the 1927 Junior, retired in the rest) and Scottish Six Days Trials too. In the featured race he had to retire in the pits from fourth place when it was discovered his petrol pipe was ‘leaking beyond repair’ – perhaps that’s what he’s inspecting? Though Cohen was forced out of the Senior, it was an AJS which won, ridden by J G Lind. In an interesting (and detailed) two pages at the end of the report, The Motor Cycle devoted some space to explaining how and where several of the machines competing had come from. It explained: “Lind’s camshaft AJS [was] believed to be the machine ridden by F G Hicks on the Island.” Freddie Hicks was a member of the works AJS team for the 1930 races (Senior, Junior and Lightweight) having won the 1929 Junior on a Velocette. Hicks didn’t actually start in the 1930 Senior TT, his AJS taken over by privateer Rudge entrant George Himing (although another report says it was Australian S M Williams who rode the Hicks AJS – Himing, AJS, finished 12th, Williams, AJS, retired), while Hicks was to tragically lose his life in the 1931 Senior, crashing an AJS. Lind, meanwhile, raced a pair of Ajays (350cc and 500cc) on the Island in 1930, coming 11th in the Junior (after his magneto stuck fully retarded) and ninth in the Senior. Although Lind won the Senior race, he wouldn’t have done had the Rudge ridden by Joe Sarkis not expired. The Motor Cycle explained of the Rudge: “Undoubtedly the fastest ever model seen in a South African road race… Sarkis persistently lapped the 20-mile course at around 82mph. This was Graham Walker’s actual TT machine…” Walker had finished runner-up in the 1930 Senior, middle of a Rudge one-two-three. In the SA TT, Sarkis led until the final lap, when, after 120 miles of high-speed action, a broken rocker forced his retirement. Sarkis enjoyed better luck in the 250cc race, winning on the same OK Supreme as 1930, though he was pushed hard by B E ‘Baby’ Scott, riding the 250cc ohc AJS Jimmy Guthrie had used to win the 1930 Lightweight TT. Sarkis won £42-10s, the same amount claimed by Davis (excelsior) for winning the 175cc race, on an Excelsior. Cohen claimed a handy £100 for his 350cc win, aided by the retirement of Lind (who was behind him but relatively close) just three miles from the finish, having covered just short of 200 miles, when his AJS forks broke. Second place was inherited by Schegar on another AJS and third Muller on a Velocette, the machine used in the 1930 Junior TT by Kenzo Tada as he became the first Japanese TT runner, finishing 15th. The protagonists were given an easier time by the early retirement of 1929 and 1930 winner Don Hall (and fourth in the 1930 Isle of Man Junior TT), riding artist Jock Leyden’s Velocette KTT, though fitted with a specially loaned ‘works’ motor. It was the engine shock absorber on this motor which broke. Shock absorber repaired, Hall was able to finish an impressive second in the 500cc race, ahead of Bertenshaw, who rode a 350cc AJS. The tough, oblong shaped-course at Kragga-Kama was obviously tough but the British factories knew the value of success in the country. Ironically for AJS, the year having stated so well, before 1931 was out the company was no longer independent, having been taken over End by Matchless.

THE CLASSIC MOTORCYCLE | MAY 2018

New Events News

News&Events un 2018 Pioneer Run Though the weather did its best to thwart it, with heavy snow and freezing winds, the Sunbeam MCC’s Pioneer Run went ahead on March 18 from Brighton seafront. We’ll have more in next month’s issue.

Stafford set to go Top level racer and ex-Honda race boss Neil Tuxworth is the guest of honour at the 38th Carole Nash International Classic MotorCycle Show, on April 21/22 at Stafford County Showground. Tuxworth started racing at Cadwell Park in 1969 aboard a BSA Bantam, soon graduating to racing in British National and International meetings. With a love of road racing it was inevitable he would be drawn to the Isle of Man TT – racking up a Manx GP win, a runner-up spot in the Formula 2 TT and five third places.

Latterly, Neil is most widely known for managing many of Honda’s racing efforts, giving Honda multiple world and national championship titles. The Carole Nash International Classic MotorCycle Show at Stafford is packed with thousands of classic machines and is the natural home for bike clubs to meet and show off their motorcycles. It boasts the largest autojumble anywhere in the UK too, with hundreds of traders selling everything from bikes to books. Discounted advance tickets for the show are now on sale, with a one-day adult pass costing just £12. Tickets will also be available on the gate, priced at £14 each. Under 12s tickets are £3 in advance or £4 on the day and parking is free. For more information visit classicbikeshows.com

Have your say and win Held gear We are always pleased and interested to hear readers’ thoughts about the magazine we’re producing. Whether you have been a subscriber since the start or have just picked up your first copy, we’d like to know what you think about it. What’s good and what’s not? What do you want to see more, or less, of? So, we’ve created a simple online survey which can be

found at www.classicmotorcyclee.. co.uk and we’d really appreciate if you could take a few minutes to complete it. As a ‘thank you’ for completing the survey all respondents will be entered into a free prize draw to be in with a chance of winning a Held helmet or gloves. One lucky winner can choose from either a Held by Schuberth H-R2 full-

face helmet, worth £419.99 or Held by Schuberth H-C3 flip-up helmet worth £419.99. There will also be three pairs of Held GoreTex Air n Dry gloves up for grabs, worth £175.99 a set. Many thanks and good luck in the prize draw.

Dee, Atkinson & Harrison sale Dee, Atkinson & Harrison enjoyed a successful classic motorcycle auction on March 3, 2018, at Sledmere House in Yorkshire. In spite of the worst snow conditions for many years, all but three of the 50 machines entered were delivered for the sale and the attendance was well supplemented by internet bidding from the rest of the country and Europe. The highlight of the auction was the 1938 HRD-Vincent Series A Comet which had been in the

THE CLASSIC MOTORCYCLE | MAY 2018

same family for some 60 years; with non-original crankcases it sold for £34,000. Next in line was a Matchless G50 with unknown provenance until the 1980s when it was campaigned by Northumbrian Dave Storry until the early 1990s; unused since, it sold to a collector for £26,000. Prewar machines were in demand with a 1938 Velocette MSS realising £8200, a 1932 Cotton with a Blackburne engine £5750 and a restoration project 1931 Triumph WL £3320. Of the later machines a 1943/45 Ariel

The Series A Vincent-HRD which realised £34,000 at the Sledmore House sale.

W/NG sold for £5520 and a 1960 Royal Enfield Constellation £5750. All prices include 15% buyer’s premium including VAT and the next auction is on July 7, 2018. Please contact Andy Spicer (01377 253151) for consignments.

COMPLIMENTARY AUCTION APPRAISAL To discuss any aspect of selling or buying collectors motorcycles at auction, please contact the London office or visit bonhams.com/motorcycles to submit a complimentary auction appraisal request.

ENQUIRIES London +44 (0) 20 8963 2817 ukmotorcycles@bonhams.com

THE SPRING STAFFORD SALE

Bids +44 (0) 20 7447 7447 bids@bonhams.com

Important Collectors’ Motorcycles and Spares Including The Tan House Collection and The Miklos Salamon Collection The International Classic MotorCycle Show TWO DAY AUCTION Saturday 21 and Sunday 22 April 2018

A CHANCE TO WIN Visit bonhams.com/lovebikes to register for a chance to win a 12 month worldwide motorcycle catalogue subscription.

CATALOGUE +44 (0) 1666 502 200 subscriptions@bonhams.com LOT PREVIEW bonhams.com/springstafford

300 MACHINES ENTERED - CATALOGUE ONLINE

1913 INDIAN 7HP MODEL E COMBINATION £16,000 - 22,000 *

C.1913 MATCHLESS 8HP £10,000 - 14,000 *

C.1927 NORTON 490CC 16H £8,000 - 12,000 *

1927 TRIUMPH 494CC MODEL P £4,000 - 5,000 *

1930 COVENTRY-EAGLE 996CC FLYING-8 £40,000 - 50,000 *

C.1932 BIANCHI 498CC W500 FRECCIA AZZURA TURISMO MOTORCYCLE COMBINATION £6,000 - 8,000 *

1933 SUNBEAM 600CC LION £4,000 - 6,000 *

1951 NORTON 500CC INTERNATIONAL MODEL 30 £18,000 - 24,000 *

1951 VINCENT HRD 998CC BLACK SHADOW SERIES-C £60,000 - 80,000 *

1967/1971 SEELEY-TAIT 492CC THREE-CYLINDER RACING MOTORCYCLE £10,000 - 12,000 *

'TELAIO ROSSO', 1971 MOTO GUZZI 749CC V7 SPORT £24,000 - 30,000 *

1974 DUCATI 750SS PROJECT £30,000 - 40,000 *

@bonhamsmotoring

bonhams.com/motorcycles * For details of the charges payable in addition to the final hammer price, please visit bonhams.com/buyersguide

New Events News NEWS IN BRIEF ASI MOTOSHOW The fabulous ASI Motoshow, in Parma, Italy, is this year on May 11-13. Details at www.asifed.it

Two-day sale at Stafford

SALISBURY RUN The Salisbury Club’s Five Valleys Run is on Sunday, April 15, and starts from Salisbury livestock market at 11am, signing on from 9.30am. Entry fee is £6 for club members, £7 for others or £8 on the day. Jane Wiltshire, 26 Queen Alexandra Road, Salisbury, SP2 9LN, is the secretary of the meeting. The run is open to all classics and will be approximately 90 miles with a stop for lunch. See www. salisburymotorcycleand lightcarclub.co.uk for an entry form.

KENT MAY DAY SHOW There’s a show on May 7, at the village hall, Hamstreet, south of Ashford, Kent TN26 2NJ. All proceeds go to Air Ambulance. Details from veloseckent@gmail. com

SURTEES CAR FOR SALE John Surtees’ BMW 507, which he had from new in 1957, will be offered at the Bonhams’ Goodwood Festival of Speed sale on July 13. It’s expected to sell for upwards of £2,000,000. Details at www.bonhams. com

SHINY BIKES IN BUCKS Bucks British & Classic MCC hosts its ‘Shiny Bike Night’ at the Plough, Cadsden, near Princes Risborough, Bucks, HP27 0NB on Wednesday, June 20, 7.30pm. A lovely country setting, good food, beer and music is promised, with many prizes in different categories. Details at www.bbcmcc.freeuk.com or Dermot 0794 0492348.

Three of the best: Both V-twins, the Matchless (above) and the Indian, date to 1913, while the 16H (right) is 1926.

On April 21/22, the largest ever Bonhams spring Stafford sale of classic and collectors’ motorcycles will take place at The Classic MotorCycle show. The sale has been split into a two-day event to accommodate the volume of machines on offer. More than 300 motorcycles have been consigned. On Saturday at 2pm, the weekend’s marathon sale will begin with an impressive collection of memorabilia and more than 100 lots of spares. A range of important trophies will also be offered, including those won by Mike ‘The Bike’ Hailwood, two Manx Grand Prix trophies and the rare Air Sea Rescue Vincent two-stroke 1942 Lifeboat engine. Following the sale of the spares and memorabilia will be the Tan House Collection, comprising an eclectic mix of 60 barn-find machines, accumulated over the past three decades, many in outstandingly original condition, all ripe for restoration.

Highlights include 1913 Indian 7hp Model E Combination (£16,000-22,000), c.1913 Matchless 8hp (£10,000-14,000), 1933 Sunbeam 489cc Lion (£4000-6000) and 1926 Norton 490cc 16H (£8000-12,000). On Sunday, The Miklos Collection will cross the auction block, together with 160 further important consignments. The Miklos Collection comprises 41 lots, and is an impressive range of rare and significant motorcycles built up over a lifetime of passionate collecting by the late Miklos ‘Mike’ Salamon. The amazing Surreybased collection contains some of the most remarkable and sought-after machines available, including a 1970 Münch Mammoth (£75,000-100,000),

a 1940 Indian Four (£28,00035,000) and a 1973 MV Agusta 750S (£70,000-90,000). Further highlights of the sale include an ex-Edinburgh Police, 1931 Brough Superior 981cc SS100 (£170,000-220,000), proceeds of which are to benefit the Search and Rescue Dog Association, RNLI and Salvation Army; the ex-Cecil Sandford, 1957 250cc Mondial (£80,000120,000), 1951 Vincent-HRD 998cc Black Shadow (£60,00080,000), 1926 Coventry-Eagle 981cc Flying-8 (£45,000-55,000) and the ex-Joe Potts, 1929 Grindlay-Peerless 498cc Brooklands ‘Hundred Model’ (£45,000-50,000). It promises to be quite an event. Details from Bonhams. com or 0208 963 2817.

Exotic trio of racers for Miller Museum The Sammy Miller Museum has announced the purchase of three classic racers, bought from Jim Lilley in Lisburn, Northern Ireland. Jim is a staunch supporter of the classic scene and was delighted the museum was able to make the purchase. The exotic trio of two-strokes are an ex-Freddie Spencer works Honda NS500, a Barry Sheene Suzuki RG500 Mk.IV and ex-works 1959 MZ 125cc GP racer. The bikes are on display in the Racing Gallery at the museum in New Milton.

THE CLASSIC MOTORCYCLE | MAY 2018

Book Review The Norton Commando Bible All models 1968-1978 Author: Peter Henshaw Published by: Veloce Publishing Ltd, Veloce House, Parkway Farm Business Park, Middle Farm Way, Poundbury, Dorchester DT1 3AR Tel.: 01305 260068 E-mail: sales@veloce.co.uk Fax: 01305 250479 Hardback, 215 x 255mm (portrait); 144 pages with over 150 photographs and illustrations. ISBN 978-1-78711-006-9 £35 UK; $65 USA; $72 Canada With its introduction in 1969, the 750cc Norton Commando was one of the first modern so-called Superbikes and has become a most usable and collectable classic. However, unlike its competitors, the Commando was only intended purely as a stop-gap to be built for a couple of years before a new engine was ready. Of course, that did not happen, and the bike was in production for nine years. The Commando was in fact a tremendous achievement, given that the designers Bernard Hooper and Bob Trigg were asked to produce a new flagship to be shown on the Norton stand at the Earls Court show, in just 11 weeks. The previous year, an existing prototype 800cc P10 twin had been dusted off and resurrected, but it had turned out to be a disaster. The answer was to take the existing 750cc Atlas engine and gearbox (that was all they had available) and devise a way of taming its legendary vibration. The result was the ingenious ‘Isolastic’ rubber mounting system housed in a new lightweight straight-tube frame that not only insulated the rider from vibration but also gave superb handling. A new diaphragm clutch was housed in a stylish aluminium chaincase along with renowned Norton forks, a new TLS front brake and radical styling. The new Commando was an outstanding success, particularly in North

America where its stunning performance (0-60 in under five seconds and quarter-mile sprints in under 13 seconds) gained many sales. The Commando certainly had a chequered career. Inconsistent quality could make it unreliable, there was the debacle of the overstressed Combat engine, and the fact that, with age, it gained weight and lost performance. But it had its days in the sun too; race wins at the hands of the brilliant designerrider Peter Williams, giantkilling sales in the USA and the devotion of successive generations of riders who loved its low-down power, good handling and freedom from vibration, making it an ideal long-distance touring machine. This is an excellent, well researched book with contributions from many ex-Norton staff including Mike Jackson (Norton sales director), Brian Slark, Mick Ofield, together with former testers and development engineers, charting this roller-coaster of a story. The book covers all models of the Commando including the production racers and the Cosworth Challenge; living with a Commando and appendices covering the 21stcentury Commandos; model profiles and engine number and production dates as well as club contacts and suppliers. Highly recommended. Reviewed by Jonathan Hill

THE CLASSIC MOTORCYCLE | MAY 2018

News Events

Tommy Barker (1926-2018) Always slight in build, Tommy Barker, who has died age 91, was frail in the final decade of his riding years and a lack of strength in his legs closed down his riding career at the age of 89. But, in his younger day he’d been a formidable Western Centre scrambles champion, first on a Gold Star when he came out of the Army in 1948, then on two specials he built. The first, based on an early 1930s 150cc BSA, bought for £5 and much modified to 125cc – the TBS (Tom Barker Special) went like stink and was a winner. He recounted: “I started with Phil Irving’s ‘Tuning for Speed’ and learned as I went along.” The second was a Velocette 250cc MOV engine with Venom cams built into own frame. On this he fought off the two-strokes for 10 years, with over 100 wins. He was a voracious competitor: he would use the TBS in the 125 event and then the Velo for the 250, 350, 500cc and unlimited events. He recalled: “At one meeting at Glastonbury in 1958, I came home with more prize money than I could earn in a week at work.” But after nearly a decade of

MAY

1918

Tommy Barker, who has died age 91, picks up another trophy during his scrambling heyday.

running at the front the Velo was pensioned off and in 1962, at the age of 36, Tom stopped racing. He then built a beautiful 250cc Velocette trials bike on which he continued to compete in Western and Wessex Centre events for the next 20 years. It was with all this experience, skill and undoubted ability as an engineer that Tommy came to the restoration scene in the mid-1980s. He bought the rusty carcase of what was to become, after a further three years of collection and refurbishment, a superb BSA B21. The bike is still in the Stroud area and remains a living testament to the skill and artistry of this fine motorcycle engineer. Dave Giles.

Tramway motorcycle show Following the success of last year’s event, the Crich Tramway Village-based National Tramway Museum, in conjunction with members of the Vincent Owners’ Club, will be running a second classic motorcycle day at the

scenic hilltop venue on Sunday, July 1. Last year, more than 1500 visitors attended. Registration for the event is through www.tramway.co.uk, and there is a Facebook page with regular updates.

Magneto ‘lookalike’ body Paul Goff has launched a new Lucas K2F magneto replacement body for British pre-unit twins. This is externally a replica of the K2F but able to house an electronic ignition system. The body was designed to accept the Wassell ignition system but can also take Pazon and Boyer systems. The body is machined from solid with two sealed bearings and includes dummy pick-ups and leads through which the wiring is fed, out of sight. Cost for the body is £349 and

THE WAY WE WERE IN

For those planning a long motorcycle trip once the war ended, this comment from a Government official would be of interest: “Do not be so sure it will

1943

Using essential users’ coupons, a motorcycle was filled with the new leaded ‘pool’ petrol. This new fuel had a claimed octane value of 80,

1967

The BSA factory held functions to celebrate the retirement of Bert Perrigo. The son of a baker, Albert ‘Bert’ E Perrigo was born at Small Heath, Birmingham in 1903 and was expected to join the family bakery. Instead, he first delivered ex-WD vehicles to dealers for disposal on the open market after the First World War. As that work dried up, he moved to the Bordesley Engineering Co, New Bond Street, Birmingham, maker of Connaught motorcycles, as delivery driver/assembler. During his employ he rode a Connaught in the LondonEdinburgh trial, securing a gold medal. When Connaught production ended, Bert moved to Humphries and Dawes (OK) before joining BSA’s competition department. Riding Beesas, he secured more gold medals in the long distance trials and won the inaugural British Experts Trial in 1929.

1993

the Pazon ignition is £159.85. A cheaper version of the magneto replacement body is also available at £125, where the original appearance is not so important. Visit www.norbsa02. freeuk.com or 01494 868218.

THE CLASSIC MOTORCYCLE | MAY 2018

Reg Orpin, for many years until 1991 proprietor of London Velocette dealers L Stevens Motorcycles, Shepherd’s Bush, died aged 65. Involved in racing for years, including the

be years before petrol is plentiful when the war is over,” he stated continuing, “the likelihood is that the shortage of motorcycles will be felt more keenly than the lack of fuel.”

compared with approximately 68 for ‘pool’ fuel. Thus the new leaded fuel had the same ‘anti-knock’ value as prewar Ethyl. Brilliant!

Involved in developing BSA trials machines for the thenmodern observed trials, he enjoyed many classic victories including the Colmore, Victory and again British Experts (1931). A British Trophy (four) and Vase (two) ISDT member 1930-35, he also drove BSA three-wheelers in long distance trials. Known as ‘Mr BSA,’ he was competition manager 1932-late 1930s when taken seriously ill, and again after the Second World War until 1959, when Brian Martin took over. Instrumental in Wal Handley’s/BSA’s Brooklands Gold Star he spotted the branding opportunity which became the Gold Star and oversaw the successful 1952 BSA Maudes Trophy attempt. Not afraid to stand up to Edward Turner, self-taught Perrigo served BSA in many roles including competitor, engineer, marketing man (including being seconded to Ariel) and PR officer. Bert Perrigo died in 1985.

development of a production racing model which led ultimately to Velocette Thruxton, Orpin sponsored many riders including Peter Williams, Dennis Craine and Gordon Keith. Richard Rosenthal.