Welcome
Literallynever aday passes when Idon’t at some pointthink,motorcyclingwise, ‘Cor, I’dreallylikeone of them.’
Tatcan be for all sortsofreasons ; becausesomeone mentionsa make or marque to me,Isee something in apicture or amessage,there’safeature to sort out, one rides past –the infuences aremyriad. At some point, duringevery day, I’ll be idlydaydreamingand at thesame time plotting;‘If Iwas to sell this,then maybe trade that, fnish that one of,see if so and so would sell his,etc.’ It just neverstops and while Iamthatpersonwho is suggestible, I’malsoaware certain machinessuit certain tasks
Forus in the ‘old bikeworld’that has alsomeant that certain motorc ycles are eligible for certain events,hence is why we have –oraspiretohave– such and such.I’vedone twoofthe SunbeamClub’s Pioneer Runs in the past and have always said I’dnot ride in it againuntil Ihad a motorcyclethatwas eligible, so that means amachine (and model) made pre-1915.Now, in the face of fallingparticipant numbers, the club hasdecidedtochangeits entry criteria for the famous ride fromLondon to Brighton (nowShoreham), allowing what is widelyaccepted as ‘vintage’(so pre-1931) machines in, albeittostart after the veterans
Tis means the Pioneer Runhas basically adopted the same entr ycriteriaasthe Banbur yRun,ofwhich we carr yareport thisissue –see page 24.
EDITOR
James Robinson jrobinson@mortons.co.uk
REGULARCONTRIBUTOR S TimBritton,AlanCathcart, Jonathan Hill, IanKerr, RoyPoynting, Richard Rosenthal, Martin Squires,Jerry Turston, Alan Turner,Phil Turner
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Kelvin Clements
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In my mind it wasalmostacaseof progression, and havingowned various vintage steeds,startingwith the easiest Banbur y-eligible late 1920sversions and gradually movingbackthrough the vintage years, perhapsone dayI’d buymyown veteranand then do the Pioneer Run. Istill might of course (ornever mighthavedone anyway!) while I’ve already heardsomeone sayhewas originallyintendingtosell his vintagemount as he enjoysthe Pioneer so much,but nowthe vintage bikeiseligible for the Pioneer,he’ll sell the veteraninstead. It’s areallydifcultsituation of course, regardingchanges and keepingrelevance and numbersup, so let’s hopeitworks out for the SunbeamCluband it reinvigorates the Pioneer Run, and maybe, with people on slightly youngermachines participating, they’ll seesomethingveteran theyfancy and so decide to tr ythatnext.
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©Kelsey MediaLtd.All rights reserved.No part of this publication maybereproduced or transmittedinany formorbyany means,electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or anyinformation storageretrieval system without prior permission in writingfromthe publisher ISSN No 0263-0850
continent Encirclinga
An account of an epic, pioneering12,000mile trip aroundthe coast of Australia, undertaken by a Londoner on an AJS.
The headline for this pieceis taken from that whichwas used when KenRiversdescribedhis Australian adventure, which, actually, at the time of publication (it wasinthe April14, 1955, edition of Te MotorCycle)had taken place three yearsbefore, as Rivers hadset out in May1952.
Tat it hadn’t just happenedisn’t made clearinthe British presspublishedarticle, albeit it probably didn’t reallymakeany diference,asthe motorcycle he’d done it on, aswingingarm 500cc ohvsingle-c ylinder AJS 18S,was still acurrent model, and, well, who wasgoingtoargue? Butitis also interesting the fact isn’t recorded, one supposes to addimmediac y, though what’s not open to discussion or speculation wasthathe became the frst person to circumnavigate the continent, usingonlythe roads closest to the coast, as earliermotorcyclists who’d taken similar trips hadsimplychecked in with GPO(General Post Ofce)atevery mainland capital nearestthe chosenway Te routeRiverscovered was to become known as National Highway One.
Rivers’own stor ybegins rather poetically: “Mybrother wasbringinginhis cowsfor milkingone autumn morning as Ichecked the itemsonmyheavily-loadedAJS:sleeping bag, ground sheet and tent ;inthe pannier bags,foodand clothing…
“Although Ihad toured extensively by motorcycleathome in Great Britain and on the continentofEurope, Ihad very little experienceofAustralianconditions.”
Rivers wasbeginninghis grandtournear thesouthern coastal town of Victor Harbour, about65miles down from Adelaide.He travelledeastwards,soanti-clockwise, covering the frst 1000 miles andcrossing the SydneyHarbour Bridge at the end of day fve. Ten it wasnorth towardsBrisbane, in heavyrain, beforeleavingNew South Wales forQueensland, views of the PacifcOcean andbrightsunshine.Hestopped for an oil change at the garage of VicHuxley, an Australian speedwaystar of the1930s.A little further on, the accompanyingpictureof
Rivers wastaken at Rockhampton; notethe sign in the background.
After earlier goodroads,theynow started to deteriorate, while therewerebig slogs plus stops in places (suchasvisitingthe GreatBarrier Reef )too,asRiversthen made his waytoDaintree,his ‘northern limit’and accessedbysandyroads,whichcontinued through the Charters Towers area,enroute for Darwin, 1650 miles away Queensland wasdispatchedand it wasinto the Northern Territor y, the ride up to Darwin being‘mostpleasant’,aswas his stay there. Forsix weeks, he dispensed with his tent,
simply sleeping‘under the stars’.Ten it was back down to NewcastleWaters, stocking up with provisions and into WesternAustralia. It was‘outwest’ that Rivers’AJS sufered its one and onlypuncture, nearingG ogo Station, not far from FitzroyCrossing. Unfortunately, he wasridingindeepsand at the time,whichprovedchallengingwhenit came to wheelremoval. Butitwas mended and therewas consolation in the formofa hot bath anda fnemeal, as theguestofthe managerofthe workshop attached to the station. Terewas alsotime for fshing and crocodile spotting…
Terewas deep sand betweenDerby and Broome,then from Broome to Port Hedlund ‘the worsttrack that Ihad metanywhere in Australia’;hefell of four times one day, bendinga footrestand bruisinghis ankle Ten it wassouth down the coast, bound for Perth, then continuingdownand round the south-westcorner of Australia, before reachingAlbanyand then heading back north, picking up the main Perthto Kalgoorlie road. From there, it wasdowntoNorsemanand the 720 milestretch east acrossthe Nullabor plain, headed for Penong. With that stretchbehind him,Adelaide was‘only’650 miles away and
Rivers confessedtofeeling anxious –whatifhe failedtomakeitnow?
Andthen,not far from Adelaide,the AJS stopped dead. “HastilyI looked in the tank It wasdry!After thousands of miles in the outbackIhad runout of fuel with petrol stations ever yfew miles.Rather redinthe face, Ipushedthe machine to the topofa rise andtherewas apetrol station to whichI was able to coastwithout efort.
“Goingfar?” Askedthe attendant.
“No, not far,” Ireplied, “Onlyto Victor Harbour.”
“Oh, with all that gear on boardIthought
you were goingonquitea tour,” he remarked with asmile.”
KenRiversrodeintoAdelaide and met motorcyclingfriends,then fnishedof, back to his brother ’s,ashewas drivingout the cows after milking. Te journeyhad taken four months and he’d used only12pints of CastrolOil; he endorsedthe product so thoroughly, he wastobeappointed regional sales managerfor the company
He alsotouredthe UK ,hostedbyAJS and Castrol, tellingfellowmotorcyclistabout his epic journey, while theAJS was displayed prominentlytoo. End
&News Events
Te PioneerRun adds a‘Plus’
Tis year sees the world’s longest-runningveteran motorcycleevent change its entr ycriteria.
Te SunbeamMotor Cycle Club’s annual Pioneer Run, on Sunday,October 5, 2025, is launchingPioneer Plus,a complementar yrun on the same day, butfor latervintage motorcycles datedbetween 1915 and1930.
Te vintage machines will followthe same routeasthe veterans butwill leavethe departure pointatEpsom alittle later. From theretheywill travel through the countryside of Surrey to the fnish at Shoreham’s historic ArtDecoairport. On the waythere will be aroute checkand cofee
stop at LeonardsleeGardens.
After the breakitwill be onwards to Shoreham Airportwhereriders will be welcomedbythe mayors of both Epsomand Ewell and Adur District Council and awardedtheir fnishers’ badges
Te gathering at Shoreham is alwaysaspectacle to be enjoyedbyold bikeenthusiasts, augmentedthis year by the laterfat tank andsaddle tank machines.Pleasesend for entr y formstothe following email address; don’t dither,demand is expected. PioneerRun numbers will be unlimited butPioneer Plus mayberestricted
Please email pioneerrunentries@sunbeammcc.co.uk
Bonhams’online summersale results
Topprice in Bonhams’ online summer sale,whichran from June 6-16, 2025, wasrealised by arather nice 1953Vincent BlackShadow, whichfetched
Giro South West
Entries for the 2025 Giro South West (Tree MoorsRun), which will be held September14-17, are nowopen. It’s an eventcovering 500miles and specifcallyfor Motogiroeligible machines, so sub-175cc and pre-1970, essentially. Email Russell Benney at Russell@phaseone.co.uk
£39,100 includingpremium,but exclusiveofany taxes applied; if it sold in the UK ,then the buyer will have to payVAT on the premium,whichwould add just another £1000 to the fnal price
While nice,and possessedof good history,the Shadowlacked the ‘matchingnumbers’– by two digits,whichmay have been the result of afactor ystampingerror or aver yearly engine change
Certainly, a1959 logbook recordedthe numbersasthey aretoday.But as later factory records areunavailable,itmay neverbeproven. Notridden for over 20 years, it wasin‘need
of recommissioning’ . And while not amotorcycle, it wasanother Vincentproduct whichrather surprised –a ‘rare air-sea rescue Vincenttwo-stroke lifeboatengine’fetching£20,480,
KopHill Climbfor 2025
Te KopHill Climbtakes place on September20/21. Tere’salwaysafne showingofmotorcycles at the charityevent.For more details visit kophillclimb. org.uk
with premium included. Te 500cc opposed cylinder engine wasproducedin1942 to patents held by Phil Vincent, with Phil Ir vingalsohavinginput.
Te ChrisSkellen Hondas and wonderful BunnyLeaf RudgeUlster(seelastmonth’s news pages) all did well, the Rudgemaking£9200 including premium.Reckonedtohave onlybeenstarted once in 43 years, hopefullynow it will have anew leaseoflife.Other things to catchthe eyeincludedaBinks Mousetrap carburettor, at £2816 includingpremium All results areatbonhams.com
FowlersBristol Bike Nights
Held at Fowlersonthe frst Friday of each month,fromMay through to September, Bristol Bike Nights areback. Arrive at FowlersMotorcycles,2-12 Bath Road, BristolBS4 3DR from 5.30pm.
Theserid er son1 920s Triump hRicar do sare wa tching aveteran in the PioneerRun.Fro mthisyear, though,they’ll be ab le to take part too.
Ha nd so me VincentB lack Shad ow, sold in Bonham s’ summer online sa le
TheV incent li feboat engine.Presa le estima te wa s£ 20 00 -300 0; it ma de upward sof£ 20 k.
Te 2025
Anglo-Dutch
Startedin1912 butresurrected in 1989, this bi-annual event alternates betweenthe UK and the Netherlands.Itisfor motorcycles made prior to 1915 andislimited to 25 Dutch ridersand 25 UK riders. Send an email to anglodutch2025@vmcmotor.com or download the registration form from the Veteraan MotorenClub website, www.vmcmotor.com/ anglo-dutch
Te eventwill takeplace from July 28 to August 2, 2025.
Go ambling in August
Te August Amble 2025 is a new three-day social riding event, open to ridersof smaller classicmotorcycles up to 250cc and over 50 yearsold, ie 1975 or before.
Entr yincludes tw onights’ half boardaccommodation at Te GreethamValle yHotel (Rutland) whichw illbethe base for August 19-21 event. For full infor mationand booking details contact Pete Murray guzzipetem@gmail.com
Brooklands Motorc ycle Day
To be held on July 6, Brooklands Motorc ycle Dayisaproper two-wheeledcelebration at the Surrey speed bowl,with participatingridersabletohavea runupthe evocativeTestHill, as shown, too. Take alookatwww. brooklandsmuseum.com to fnd outmore.
Harley DayatMiller’s
Show revival
RoyalTunbridge Wells holds a remarkably signifcantplace in the history of British motoring. In 1895, the town in Kent hosted the frst-evermotor show to takeplace in GreatBritain. Tis milestone will be celebrated in 2025 with the launchofthe new RoyalTunbridge Wells Festival of Motoring
Taking place on the weekend of August 2/3, 2025, morethan 20 cars and motorcycles of the past 130 yearsw ill be displayed
H&H in July
Te H&H sale at the National Motorc ycle Museum on July 9, with thoseexpectedincluding one of the pair of 1928 AJSK10s that claimedjoint‘Best in show’ at Stafordin2017. Alsointhe sale is this handsome Velocette Venom,whichfeaturedonour May2012 cover. Tere’s plenty
Greatweather blessedthe third SammyMiller Museum HarleyDavidson Day, organised by the Harley-Davidson Riders’ Club of GreatBritain, on Father ’s Day, June 15.
So much of asuccesswas it deemed, that it’s already agreed that the club canhold this event on Father ’s Day2026.
Te Harley-Davidson Riders’ Club of GreatBritain is theoldest Harley-Davidson enthusiasts’ club in the UK ,establishedin 1949. It’s acommunityofHarley and Buell motorcycleowners whoenjoy riding, rallies,and social events.
Over 600 motorcycles arrived, with severalridersmakingthe journeyfromthe Isle of Wight. Sammy’sPit Stop cafe andthe Catering Cabin in the Courtyard were kept busy all day.
Pr iz es we re aw arde dt oPau l Em mends for his 197 7Har le y for Be st Cu st om,B es ti nS how we nt to And yKir by ’s 19 90 Amer ic an Fl at Trac ke ra nd Ni ge lG re en wo nO ldes tBik eo n his 1934 VL .
Belvoir Castle
Te Steamand Countryshowat Belvoir Castle,Grantham, NG32 1PA, takes place over August 23-25. Te eventofersa cornucopiaof pleasures,includingofcourse classic motorcycles.Visit www. outdoorshows.co.uk for more details
Te President’s Run
Formleythe George Brown MemorialRun, the Stevenage and District MCC’sevent is nowrenamedTePresident’s MemorialRun, and takes place on July 13, at the Plume of Feathers, Little Wymondley, SG47HY at 11am,but assemble from 10am
moretoo,includingnot one,but two, bathtubTriumph Tigers 110s.Details handh.co.uk
FenTiger Run in EastAnglia
Membersand non-members aremorethanwelcome at this 80-mile runfor pre-1940 motorcycles.It’smostlythrough the EastAnglian ruralFens, startingatWadlowLodge,West Wratting, CB21 5NE.
Leavingat10.30 (with ample parkingfor trailers, vans etc), there’salunchstopatthe Charles Burrell Museum in Tetford, then aleisurelyride back,leavingat2.30pm, through the back roads of Norfolk,Sufolk and Cambridgeshire. Formore information email fentigerrun@ btinternet.com
Campingw ith Sunbeams
SunbeamOwnersFellowship Annual CampingRally,for all enthusiastsofS7/S8s,ison July 10-14, at OsmastonCricket Ground, near Ashbourne, Derbyshire. Contact 01538 756927 for moredetails.
Pickingupaprize,isNigel Green, displaying abrave choice of T- shir t forthe day! Photograph by ChrisMabey
Shelsle yWalshBikeB onanza
To be held on July 5, 2025, there’sahostofattractionsto make avisit to the famous old hill climbcours eamemorable dayout
Triumph collector Dick Shepherdistobring some of hisfamous machines outto
play,while at least20ridersand machines from the Lansdowne ClassicSeries for pre-1962 race ware aredowntocompete.
SteveParrish will lead aride in, as well as demonstrate an RG500 Suzuki,and therewill be trade stands and jumble,too
RAF Typhoondisplay duringClassic TT
Te RAFTyphoon display is settotakeplace on Tursday, August 28, at 7.30pm in the skies aboveDouglas Bay.
Te ClassicTTwill take
place from August 20-29. For moreinformation and updates, includingthe full race and entertainmentschedule, visit iomttraces.com/classic
Walter theRaleighSpic erssale
Tis logbookofhis journeys in Britain waswritten by young motorcyclistJackGordon Winchester, in the mid1920s.His accounts were kept meticulously.Tebookwas found in ademolishedgaragein TorntonCleveleys,Lancashire,
in the 1960s. Te book had probably been previously in the possession of his father,who lived in Cleveleys in the mid-1930s.It’s available as afreedownloadat: www.mlfhs.uk/research/fndout-more/public-resources/ public-documents
Museum’s next rafe winningpriz es
Spicers, in Goole,EastYorks,are acceptingentries for their July 26, 2025, sale,wherethere’sa6% (plus VAT) vendor ’s commission. Amongthe lots ofered arethis unique BSA, whichwas raced at the Manx GP in the 1980s.It’s nowftted with atuned 500cc engine and, yes, thoseare Cotton Telstar forks.Call01405 203203 or spicersauctioneers.com for details.
Second prizeisa £1500 SealeyTools voucher,with thirda SealeyTools ‘Patriot’ Roll CabToolCabinet
Tickets are£3 each anddrawdateis October26, 2025, at Museum Live.You can buythem at thenmm. co.uk
Firstprize in the National Motorc ycle Museum’s summer rafe for 2025, is arare1981 Royal Weddingedition Triumph Bonneville Just 125 were made,to celebratethe wedding of thethenPrince of Wales,now King Charles,and Lady DianaSpencer.It followedonfromthe successful 1977 Silver Jubileeedition of the Bonneville Featuringcast wheels andlots of chrome,the one in the rafe is aUKvariant
TriumphBonnevilleRoyal Wedding, next raffleprize from theNMM.
AUGUST
1900
Te MotorManufacturing Company(MMC)announced it could supplya rangeof single-cylinder enginesof varyingcapacities,with
1925
Shambles in Belgium.Te BelgianGPwas scheduled for August 2, at Spa. Ten, the BelgianFederation banned the FN teamfor competingin non-authorised competitions. Immediately, FN took out an injunction to overturn this action. In response, the authorities cancelledthe entireevent.Not the result FN wanted,and, beinggood sports,theywithdrew their entry,but this wastoo late for the August 2meetingto go ahead, forcingthe Belgian Federation to reschedule for Sunday,August9
1950
Hopesofa British cleansweep of the year’s Moto-Cross Des Nations runatSkillingaryd, Värnamo,Sweden, were dashed, as Dutchman HendrickRietman slottedhis Saroléaintothirdplace.BSA machines took the topthree places in the frst heat,and
1975
Giacomo Agostini, although second to Phil Read (MVAgusta) at Brno, Czechoslovakia on August 24, securedhis 15th World Championship title (seven 350cc,eight 500cc)eight points ahead of Britain’s Read. Agoswitched from MV
2000
Today’sracers were using lightweightcastalloywheels Teyofer many advantages, includinglower rotational mass,improvingacceleration and braking, with lower unsprungweightfor better handling, and the lighter
optionsof air orwater-cooling. While examples were already powering new tricycles, it wasbelieved theycould suit motorcycles too.
In themain 500cc race, JimmySimpson (498cc AJS) streaked into the lead ofthe 250 miles event, chased by AlecBennett(490cc Norton). Such wasthe pace,Bennett’s Norton cooked aplug which Alecchanged near the grandstand. Despitehaving lost many places,Bennett was up to ffth place at the midway stage. By the 20th lap, he’d overhauledthe topplaces to takethe lead, and the fast, reliable Norton thundered into the distance as Bennett claimedarelaxed winbya countrymile,at 66.6mph
speedway star Olle Nygren (alsoBSA)secured athirdplacefnish in the second heat. In the fnal, it wasJohnny Draper fromBasil Hall (both BSA) with Rietman third, then Harold Lines (Ariel), Geof Ward (AJS) and BillyNicholson (BSA) completingthe places.
Agusta to Yamaha for the 1974 season, provinghewas just as dominantontwo-stroke machines as he hadbeen astride the four-strokeMVs Andthis despitebreaking his shoulderfallinginthe 500cc GP race at Anderstorp, Sweden, in July.
wheels uselessenergy for acceleration, slowingand help improvefuel economy. Funny thingherewas thelightweight wire wheel hadofered many of theseadvantagesfor the past century RichardRos enthal.
Bo ok Review
“TeCyclecar” VolumeOne –Issues onetoten: 1912-1913
Author andcompiler : Cally Callomon
Publisher : Te Antar Press Credit and thanksgotoPeter Card for allowing his precious original copies to be scanned.
Email: cally@antar.cc
Softback,210 x295mm (portrait); 330 pageswith over 500 photographs and illustrations.
ISBN 978-1-7396721-3-3
£35 GB; $47 USD: $65: $73 AUD.
£35 $47 USD: AUD
Forthis month’s review, Ihave chosen aver ydiferentand very interestingsubjectthatis not in anormalbookformat, buta facsimile copyofthe frst 10 issues of ‘TeCyclecar’ from 1912 to 1913, and while theydo have three and four wheels,the majority usemotorcycle-type engines and fttings fromJA Prestwich( JAP), Anzani and Precision, with capacities from 500cc to air-and water-cooled V-twins of 1000cc
Te Cyclecar magazine, publishedbyTeTemple Press, cashedinonthe enthusiastic trend towardseasymotoring by carfor both competitiveand familyuse and, indeed,sold 100,000 copies of issueone in 1912. Te cyclecar boom wasfairly short-lived,killed by the arrivalofthe cheaper, largefactor yproduction of the Austin Seven, the Morris Minor and laterthe Ford Popular. Te OlympiaShowof1913 saw35c yclecarmanufacturers exhibitingand their detailed specifcations make interesting reading. Some in thelowbudget rangehad buta single gear and were beltdriven, whilstthe majority, includingMatchlessand the Morgan three-wheeler,used acountershaft gearboxand chain drive. Te topprice rangemodels (Humber, Chater Leaand Singer) used car-type clutches with three speed and reversegears.Te Wilkinson hadawater-cooled four-c ylinder engine
Te Cyclecar editor, Edmund Dangerfeld,and staf,includingfourartists, producedwhatisnow a fascinatingaccountoftimes past and is indeed awelcome addition to the jigsaw that makesupthe history of our enduringinterest. With 330 pagesand over 500 superb line drawingand atmospheric photographs,great reference canbemade of the many advertisements and reports on long-distance trials, speed recordattemptsand social gatherings
Copies of the magazines, whether looseorbound, now fetch exorbitantprices at auction, as the demand grows. Many copies arenow frail and faded, so Te Antar Press hascommencedonareissue series to fle and preser ve fne drawings,diagrams, photographs and text into an afordable ‘readingcopy’ , allowing the precious originals to remain stain and tamperfree.For many enthusiasts, the originals will remain outof-reach,sohereisaneasy accesstothe initial volumes one to 10, in the hope that the series proves popularenough to justify further volumes beingprinted
Skilfullyscannedand printedonhighqualitypaper with asoftback binding, this excellentbook, pricedat£35, is highlyrecommended. Book reviewed by Jonathan Hill.
End of an era
Mounted on aRudge motorcycle, arider looks towardsthe Yorkshire hills, at atime when it was feared the enemycould appear anytime.
Thislovelypicture, printedin Te MotorCycle for October5,1939, as ‘lead’for that week’s ‘Current Chat’ pages, carriedthe caption: “Yorkshire’sbroad acres. Afne panoramashowing Howgill Fells fromnearSedburgh.”And that’s it –there’s no mention of who it is or what motorcycle he’s on (it’s Rudge), while the rest of pages carr ynews snippet stories –severalofwhich, naturallyenough,dealwith the overriding issueofthe day, whichwas that the Second WorldWar wasunder way; Nazi Germany hadinvadedPoland on September 1, 1939, and, twodayslater,the UK (and France) declaredwar on Germany.
So,onOctober 5, the UK wasjustover amonth into aglobal confict,whichhad another nearly sixpainful yearstorun Te CurrentChat sectionfeatured stories such as ‘Carryingon’,regardingthe Institution of Automobile Engineers staying at its headquarters in Hobart Place,London, SW1; another stor ywas ‘Petrol Coupons’, explainingthatthe frst book of such covered theperiodSeptember23toOctober 22;and that the Scottish MotorExhibition, due in November,had been cancelled.
While one further paragraphtitled“A Fortnight’sHard” read: “Ithas taken FLBeart of Brooklands fame,overafortnighttogrease andstore away all of his ownmachines and thoseofhis customer-racers. Histuning establishmentatthe Trackhas now closed down –for the duration.”
And while Francis Beartwould return to action after the Second Word War, with triumphs includingmastermindingNorton’s victorious1949 (and 1950 and 1951, actually) Daytonacampaign, and varioushigh-profle race successesinthe Isle of Man, including JoeDunphy’ssecond in the 1965SeniorTT on his apple-greenBeart Norton,thoughit wasn’t known in 1939, Brooklands wasgone forever.And so,for that matter, wasRudge. Tat Rudgefailedtoreappearpost hostilities,seems toohardtocomprehend, beingastheyhad been one of the industr y’s leadingnames,especiallyin the few years around 1930, when the frm’sracershad the
beatingofeverything, includingthe Nortons and Velocetteswith whichcompetition successinthatperiodisperhaps more commonlyassociated. Buteveryone played second fddle to Rudge, with awhole catalogueofsuccess, peakingatthe 1930 TT races,asWal Handleywon the Senior race on his four-valve500cc single,besting team-mateGrahamWalker,while in the 350ccclass,Rudge were one,two,three,with Dubliner Tyrell Smith beatingErnie Nott and Walker.Tough Walker wastowin the 1931 Lightweightracefromlike-mountedTyrell
Smith and therewereapairofpodiumsin both Junior and Lightweightracesthe year after too, Rudge’smomentinthe racingsun had, pretty much,passed.
Te frmwas to continue through the 1930s though,buildinghigh-qualitymachines, with the rangeleader theUlster, named after Graham Walker ’s 500cc wininthe 1928 edition of that race.Rudge alsosupplied engines to othersunder the Pytonname –HRD,Cottonand AJWamongthe customers –and made wire wheels for sports and racing cars worldwide; this side of the businesswas
to be acquired by Jaguar afterthe Second WorldWar.
Butitwas bic ycles wherethe frmhad its roots,with ‘Rudge-WhitworthofCoventr y’ an amalgamation of severalfrms, mostnotably in 1894 when the Pugh family’sWhitworth CycleCo. of Birmingham and RudgeCycle Co.ofCoventr y(original founder beingDan Rudge) joinedforces.Aswell as cycles,keen motoristJohn Pugh developed adetachable wheel forcars, whichwas an instantsuccess; at the 1908 Isle of manTTcar race,21ofthe 35 entrants used Rudge-Whitworthwheels.
Te frst Rudgemotorcyclecame about in 1910, then followedthatin1911 with its 1912-introduced‘multigear ’system, controlledbya single leverwith 20 positions It wastobeinproduction for over 10 years (albeit with abreak for the FirstWorld War) while Rudgewon the 1914 Senior TT, with CyrilPullin takingthe honours. After manufacturerestarted in 1919, Rudges became increasinglydated-looking, buta revival in the mid-to-late1920s sawengine redesigns andanew four-valveset-up, albeit it wasaslateas1928 when thefrm
introduceddrumbrakes. Tatsame year Rudgewon the Ulster and anew,saddletanked,super modern model waslaunched for 1929, the startofthe greatperiod. Butthe 1930s grew increasingly tough,the businessgoingintoliquidationinlate1935, then beingboughtout by EMI, with Rudge movingtoMiddlesex ,productioneventually endinginlate1939 when EMI needed extra production spacefor radarequipment. And thus,the Second WorldWar endedRudge production, around the time oursubject photograph wastaken.
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(mini) TT races in race Riding in the
Three likely lads line up for the start of the Liverpool Motor Club’ssmall scale TT race, in the Delph Tea Gardens, Parbold.
This picturewas published, in the May24, 1928, issueof Te Motor Cycle,under the headline‘ TT amongtea terraces.’ It explained:
“TeLiverpoolMotor Club organised another miniatureTTmeeting over the sportingcourseinthe Delph TeaGardensat Parbold on Saturday. Te track, whichisjust under amile in length,includesall kindsof twistand turns,and abathin alakeifa rider fails to takeacorner under an arbour of trees, whileparts aresonarrowthatthere is hardly anyroomfor solo riderstoovertake. Te meetingwas open to 16 clubs.
“Inheatfourofthe unlimited cc class, L Myerscough (499cc Rudge-Whitworth) had nearly completed his fnal lapwhenhefailed to take awide hairpin bend and shot cleanup a four-foot bank,makinganeat‘gymkhana’ leap of the pinnacle.Both rider and machine came through the thrill unscathedhowever
“A sidecarrace over four laps hadtoberun on the bumpingprinciple.Two outfts were sent of at atime with 30 secondsseparating them,and as the course wastoo narrow for passing, arider,ifheoverhauledthe other outft,won the race on bumping. KPH Cleife (490cc Norton), who beat WAEmpsall (980ccBrough Superior) in his heat,met FA Goll (490cc Norton) in thefnal. Goll wasa lucky fnalist,however,for his heat opponent, GEmsley(348cc AJS), after puttingintwo fasthecticlaps, failed to fnish. Cleife wasthe winner,his time being8m50s
“G Emsley made the fastest lapofthe day in 1m 45s.Asthe result he wasawarded the Summerfeld Maychallenge cup.”
After that the results were published, confrmingGEmsley(348cc AJS) wasthe unlimited winner from CEdge’s500cc Sunbeam, then in the 350cc class it was Emsley again (in aquickertime,incidentally, then he’d managedinthe unlimited race)
andhebestedTPrice and CHornby, both alsolistedonAJS.Te250cc race hadCS Brownthe winner –hewas the onlyfnisher of thetwo starters
Andwhatofour picture? Well, the caption reads :“DH Ralli (348cc Velocette), TPrice (348cc Rex-Acme) and GTGreenhaigh (490ccNorton) abouttostart in the Liverpool MC’s miniature‘ TT’races.” Te reverseofthe picture, reveals alittle more: “Scene at the startwherecompetitorswerelinedupand fagged of in 25sec intervals.” It alsogives the photographer ’s name and address: WS
Trapp, of 5Hawkshead Street,Southport ; the street is still therebut notsurenumber fveis, as it lookstobeanewish estate where number fvewould have been
And what of ourmen pictured? Well, only one of them is mentionedinthe results and that’s TPrice,central, and in the results he’s listedonanAJS –whichlooks to be what he’s ridinginthe picturetoo,asopposedto what it says in the caption. It alsolooks to be aside-valve, though it needsa ‘pusher ’so onewonders,had it been ‘breathedupon’ Even then, one wouldn’t fanc yits chances