The Classic Motorcycle September 2025 issue **20 PAGE FREE PREVIEW**
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1906 211cc Motosacoche.
1907 450cc Quadrant with clutch.
1913 700cc AJS.
1925 600cc Nor ton Model 19.
1937 250cc RedPanther.1939 350cc AJS 16MS.
1912 770cc RoyalEnfield.
1928 500c Ariel Model D.
1952 125cc PiaggioVespa.
Welcome
Onebecomesaware that oneprobably hastoo many motorcycles,when upon ringingthe insurance company to make an amendment, the lady on the other endof the phone –havingopenedupthe policy –says: “Cor,there’salot of bikes on here…”Not in ajudgmental way, just as an unguarded reaction to the documentinfront of her. I didn’t think therewerethat many,and Iwas ringingtotakeanother pair of,gettingthe numbersdownfurther…
Butmostofthe things on there, by that Imeanthe insurance policy,all have their ‘place’and areasontobekept,while I’d startedtorun outofjustifcations even to myself for keepingsome of the others Forexample,mylovely1961Dominator (onthe coverofthis magazine in 2017,when it wasowned by the late BryanLingard) wasonlyreallyboughtasIthought my 1966 Bonneville wasadeadduck. Butnow the Bonneville is up and runningand waswhatI reallywantedall along, so it doesn’t warrant keepingthe Dominator.Especiallywhen someone expressesaninterestinit. Irode it to the chap’s to deliver it,regrettingall the while I’dsold it.But it’s done now.
Te nextdilemmawill be my Velocette Venom vVincent Comet.Do I really need two1950s 500cc singles? Probably not.But they’reboth lovely,and Idon’twantthe Dommie-feelingagain,not just yetanyway. Andasfor theVenom –someofyou will
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
CONTRIBUTOR STHIS IS SUE
James Adam Bolton, Mike Davis
PRODUCTION EDITOR
SarahWilkinson
ARTEDITOR
Kelvin Clements
DESIGN
DruckMedia Pvt. Ltd.
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TimHartley
GROUP ADVERTISING MANAGER
SueKeily
rememberit, as it wasthe 2020 ‘lock down’ project Velocette,then fttedwith a350cc Viperengine.But it’s nowbackto500cc and, despitea few teethingtroubles,it’snot that far away from beingftfor regularuse.Watch this space
What Ireallymustn’t do is buyanything else. ToughI’d reallylikea‘smaller’twinto supplementthe Bonnie and, in my sillylittle head, Ican justify it,asthere’snot another one of them for it to compete against. I’msure I’mnot the onlyone of us who goesthrough similardilemmas…It’sall part of thefun,aswe all well know. Even if it does seem illogical to the lady from the insurance company
Jane Skayman jskayman@mortons.co.uk Tel01507 529423
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Archivephotograph one Forgottenmarque on the startline in 1922
10 Ne ws What’s goingoninour world.
KEMPTON PARK, MIDDLESEX, TW16 5AQ
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16 Archivephotograph two Turner ’s Triumphantbig dayout in late 1958
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20 Archivephotograph three
Aremarkable scooterbuilt by a remarkable man.
32 Back to Aston Famous old hill climbgetsa centennial revival.
36 HRD’sbig day
Celebratingthe 100th anniversary of a maker’swin.
38 Full histor y RickmanNortonMétisse with sentimental attachments.
48 Having funinFrance Across the Channel, forafne classicouting.
52 Transverse tr y AJS’sunusual approach to avoiding fnancial meltdown
22 Letters
Readershavetheir say.
24 Panther on parade Prowlingthe countr yroads on araretwin.
60 Cypriot museum Collection of classics on the mediterranean island.
Made in Yorkshire
From103 years ago, the North Yorksseaside town of Scarboroughhosts its speed trials, with this motorcycle pictured being made in the same county, albeit 90 miles southwest, in Shefeld.
This photograph appeared in the September28, 1922, edition of Te MotorCycle,with the caption: “F WDixon (998cc Harley-Davidson sidecar) on the startingline.” Now, whilesomeof that statementiscorrect –the bit aboutthe ‘sidecar’ and ‘startingline’–the rest of it is obviously wrong.
All is revealed in the original reproduction, as nexttoitisanotherpicture, this one havingthe following linesunderneath: “E Searle (499cc Shefeld-Henderson)awaiting thestarter’ssignal.”Teimagesrun alongside each other,under the heading(in capitals) “SPEED TRIALSONS CARBOROUGH’S PROMENADE.” All that hashappened, is the picturesorcaption have been swapped, as this is certainlyErnieSearle, and his machine is certainlyaShefeld-Henderson. It’s also equallycertain it’s not FW‘Freddie’Dixon, on aHarley-Davidson.
Dixon wasperhaps the biggest name drawn to the event, as even by the late summer of 1922, he wasalready astar performer,albeit not yeta TT winner ;that came in 1923’s Sidecarrace,when he famously wonaboard the ‘banking’ Douglassidecar outft, while Dixon’ssecond TT success wasthe 1927 Junior race,onthe HRD. Tough he’d made hisTTdebut beforethe FirstWorldWar,it wasthe 1921 Senior when Dixon fnished runner-up on an Indian, that marked him as a ‘star,’ while he wastogoonto record breaking exploits and carracingsuccess, as well as beinglegendaryfor his tuningability…And ‘exuberant’of-trackactivities
On the dayofthe picture, Dixon was the fastest maninattendance. Terewere 131competitors, in an eventopen‘onlyto membersofthe club’but ‘it well illustrated the farce of attempting to distinguish betweenthe relativeimportanceofopen and closed events.’ It wasfurthernoted, the Scarborough trials ‘attracted agreater and moretalentedentry than anyother competition of asimilar naturethis year.’ Te report went on: “Anotherilluminating
featureofthe meetingwas the manner in whichthe bigtwincame back into its own. In the unlimited solo classthereweremanyfast 500ccmachines,but onlyGeorgeDanceon his ohvSunbeamgainedaplace,and he had to sharea second with GBrough (BroughSuperior), FWDixon (Harley-Davidson) beingfrst.”
Note howthe name Brough Superior is hyphenated,the (relatively) new marque not yet‘standardised’inhow its name appeared.Te timingwould suggestGeorge
Brough wasonhis machine known as ‘Spit and Polish,’ owingtoits immaculate appearance.It’sinteresting, also, that Dance is on an overhead valveSunbeam ;this was the prototypethat wastoleadtothe famous Model 9/90 runofmachines.Dance also hadasmaller version at his disposaltoo,on whichhewon the 350cc class,beatinginto second place futurestarWal Handley, riding an OK Junior.But in the 500cc solo category, Dance beat Ralph Cawthorne’s Norton, with ourman Searle third, then with athirdwheel
attached, the position of the frst twowas reversed,with Searle again in third.
Shefeld manErnie Searle wastogoon to join the Norton teamand wassoheavily involved and integral to the frm’s successful eforts,there wasevensome suggestionit washis initials that ledtothe adoption of ‘ES’ for the ES2, when it came about, though that seems unlikely. Butwhatisknown,is Searle wasinand aboutthe Norton eforts, recording17th in both 1925 and 1927 Senior races,sandwichingaDNF in between.
And although it wasn’t aglittering success, perhaps, it wasabrighterfuturethanthe motorcyclehe’ssat on hereenjoyed
Before the FirstWorld War, Henderson sidecars were beingmadeatthe ‘Aero’ works in FitzwilliamStreet, Shefeld, underthe direction ofaeronautical engineer Leonard Henderson. In 1920, the company movedinto motorcycle production, with its machines featuringanunusual frame that placedthe toolbox under the nose of the fuel tank.Local ace Searle wasemployedasrider,doingplenty
of winningonBlackburne-poweredmodels andattracting considerable attention to the companybut,alas, by 1923 the companywas relegatedtothe annals of history.
Lookingthrough the other marques featured in the results at Scarborough in 1922, thereare severalwestill know (Harley-Davidson, Brough Superior,Norton, Sunbeam, Velocette)but even morethat went the same way, quickly, as ShefeldHenderson– Trump, Massey-Arran, NewScale,Weatherell,Duzmo,Brevet… End
&News Events
Bonhams’October sale
Tings areshapingupnicelyfor Bonhams’Stafordsale,tobe held over October11/12, 2025. Amongthe headline lots areaSeriesAVincent-HRD Rapide and aBrough Superior SS100, plus there’sthe specials of the talentedRichard Johns, includinghis remarkable,self-
made ohc AJSV-twin.
Tere’salsothe Neil Redley Collection, atribute to the postwarmotorcycles of Midlands’ makerVelocette.Several of the late Mr Redley’scollection were featured in thesepages, with amongthe highlights of the collection the EarlsCourt
Motorc ycle Show,1956 Velocette 499cc Venom (estimate£600010,000), originallyunveiledat the 1955 Earls CourtMotorcycle Show,and featured on the cover of ourSeptember2013 issue. Tis is thefrstproduction model, showcased in its correct ‘Dove Grey’(beige) liver y–a striking
Rex to star at Charterhous e
ArareEdwardian Rexmotorcycle is enteredintothe Charterhouse specialistauction of vintage and classicmotorcycles on October9,2025, at Te Haynes MotorMuseum Te Rexmotorcycleat Charterhouse rolledout of their Coventry factor yin1911. ConsignedtoDorset-based Charterhouse from aclientin NorthLondon, theRex has
departure from Velocette’s old ‘any colour you like, so longasit’s black’ polic y.
Neil’s collectionalsofeatures other exotic examples such as the 1970 Indian-Velocette 499cc Truxton(Estimate£800012,000) and the c1970 IndianVelocette 499cc Venom(Estimate £6500-8500) both from alimited production runofjustaround 150 units.TeseIndian-Velocette motorcycles emergedfroma postwarcollaboration between Clymer ’s revived Indian brand, Italian-made frames,and the British manufacturer Velocette. Tere’sotherstoo –takea look at www.bonhams.com/ motorcycles
previously been restored.Only for sale due to poor health,this Rexhas not been on the road recently, and is estimated at £10,000-15,000 Charterhouse areinviting further entries forthis specialist vintage and classic motorcycle auction. Contact Charterhouse in Sherborne 01935 812277, 07808 159149 or email bikes@ charterhouse-auction.com
So me of theN eilRedleycollectionofVelocet te s.
Venom numb er one, gracingour September201 3cover
Rare 1911 Rexmotorcycle£ 10,0 00 -1 5,000 in theCharterhouse vintagea nd clas sicmotorcycleauc tion in Oc tober.
to buck le -up and getyour online searches sharpened,aswe’ve gotsomelovely prizes forany classic bikeenthusiast.
We’vegot some brilliantbelt buck les which featuresome of the most iconic brands in motorcycling,and rather than clog up our cupboard, we want youtohavethe chancetowearone
To be in with achance of winning one, correctlyanswer thequestions (right) by visiting the websites,then send your answers to us
5. Whereisthe world’slargest collec tion of Norman motorcycles? ww w.dovertranspor tmuseum.org.uk
6. Does Harrison Billet manufac turea two-piston caliper or afour-piston caliper forthe SuzukiGS750/850/1000? ww w.billet.co.uk
7. Howmanyspaceseach year does theMotorcycle Wheel Building Course have? ww w.motorcyclewheelbuildingcourse.co.uk
8. Howold wasSammy when he built his first bikeafter receiving aVilliers motor? ww w.sammymiller.co.uk
9. In which year did Sammyacquirethe old farmhouse –nowthe motorcyclemuseum? ww w.sammymiller.co.uk
Tw o-stroke su cc essatSammy’s
TheMillerMuseum,
Rain clouds mayhavehovered over the South Coast, butgood weather wasexperiencedall day, on Sunday,July6
Farfrombeingput of by the weather,ridersembracedthe cooler conditions,declaring it ideal for the ride-in. By midmorning, the carparkwas overfowing –somuchsothat museum managerSharonhad to gently encouragethe resident alpacas and sheep into an adjacentpaddock to create more parkingspace
Martin Kemp,chairmanof the British TwoStrokeClub,
G iroS outh
We
wasamongthe attendees :
“We’re anational club open to all two-strokes, no matter theorigin –British,European, Japanese–and even the occasional two-stroke car. Tis is ourfrsttime here as aclub,it’s been brilliant. We’verecruited new members and hadsome greatconversations.”
Alsomakinganappearance were twomembers (Rob Carter and BrianGould) of the team from TV ’s Bangersand Cash, who rode nearly 300 miles from Yorkshiretoattend, bringing alongtwo rare DMW bikes –a
1961 and a1966 model.
“Wecame down from Lincolnshireonbikes last year and were blown away by the museum.Whenwesaw TwoStroke Dayonthe calendar,we knew we hadtocome.It’sbeen worthevery mile.”
Sammyconducted the gents on atourofhis workshop,where restoration work wasofcourse compared, the museum,and the recentlyopenedItalianHall wherethe ultimatetwo-stroke, the VillaV42500, is on display SammyMiller,multiple British and European championship-
st Museum’s next rafe bike
Entr ies for the 2025 Giro South West (Tree MoorsRun), whichw ill be heldS eptember 14-17, arenow open.It’san eventcover ing500 miles and specifcallyfor Motogiroeligible machines,s osub-175cc and pre-1970, essentially. Email Russ ell Benne yatRussell@ phas eone.co.uk
Fi rs tp ri ze in the Nati onal Mo to rc yc le Mu se um’s su mmer ra ffle for 2025, is arare 1981 Roya lWed di ng ed ition Tr ium ph Bo nne ville.Jus t
125 we re ma de,t oc ele brat e the we ddin go ft hen Pr inc e of Wa les,n ow Ki ng Char les, and Lad yD ia na Sp enc er.It followe do n from the su cces sful 1977 Si lv er Ju bile ee di tion of the Bo nne ville
Featuringcastwheels and lots
winningracer,trialsrider and founder of the museum, welcomedeveryonetothe event, saying: “It’sfantastic to seesuch dedication and enthusiasm.Twostrokeshavesucha specialplace in motorcyclehistory,and today is to celebratethat.”
Sammydisplayed in the courtyardtwo of his most recent restorations and additions to the collection –the 1950 Bond Minibykeand the 1967 50cc Ducati Sports.
Te museum teamisalready lookingahead to nextyear’s events and hopes to welcome back the British TwoStroke Club– and maybeevenmore long-distance riders.
of chrome,the one in the rafe is aUKvariant Second prizeisa £1500 SealeyTools voucher,with thirda SealeyTools ‘Patriot’ Roll CabToolCabinet Tickets are£3each and draw date is October26, 2025, at Museum Live.You can buythem at thenmm co.uk
welcomingthe sights,sound sa nd smells,ofa load of two- stroke s.
Television pa ir RobCar tera nd Bria nG ould ap pear ed on aduo of DM Ws
Triump hB on nevilleRoyal Wedding, next ra ffl ep ri ze fr om theN MM
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Chang es to th ePioneer
If you’re theowner of so methinglikethis1 927 Sunb ea m, it’s noweligiblef or thePioneer Run.
Tis year sees the world’slongest runningveteran motorc ycle
eventchangeits entr ycriteria. Te Sunbeam MotorCycle Club’s annual Pioneer Run, on Sunday, October5,2025, is launching Pioneer Plus,a complementar y runonthe same day, but for motorcycles datedbetween 1915 and1930. Te vintage machines will
Go ambling in August
Te August Amble 2025 is anew three-day social ridingevent,opento ridersofsmaller classic motorcycles up to 250cc and over 50 yearsold, i.e. 1975 or before.
Entr yincludes twonights’ half-board accommodation at Te Greetham ValleyHotel (Rutland) whichwill be thebasefor August 1921,2025. Forfullinformation andbooking details contact Pete Murray guzzipetem@gmail.com
RAF Typho on displayduring ClassicT T
Te RAFTyphoondisplay is settotakeplace on Tursday, August 28, at 7.30pm in the skies aboveDouglasBay.TeClassic TT will takeplace from August 20-29. Formoreinformationand updates, includingthe full race and entertainment schedule,visit iomttraces com/classic
followthe same routeasthe veterans butwill leavethe start pointatEpsom alittle later. Te gatheringatShoreham is alwaysaspectacletobe enjoyed by old bikeenthusiasts, augmentedthis year by the laterfat-tank and saddletank machines.Pleaseemail pioneerrunentries@sunbeammcc.co.uk for entr yforms,but don’t dither,demand is expected. Pioneer Runnumbers will be unlimited butPioneer Plus may be restricted.
Stafordshow
Te autumn ClassicMotorcycle Mechanics show, will take place over October11/12, 2025, at the Stafordcounty showground. Keep an eyeon www.classicbikeshows.co.uk for updatesand ticketofers
KopHill Climb
Te KopHill Climbtakes place on September20/21. Tere’salwaysafne showing of motorcycles at the charity event. Formoredetails visit kophillclimb.org.uk
John DavidWaghorn 1942-2025
Dartford-born John lived at nearby Wilmington (Kent), the childhood home of Rolling Stones lead singer Mick Jagger.John boughthis frst motorcyclein1950, starting alifelongpassion. Reading again and again alocal library copyofIxion’sMotor Cycle Cavalcade fred his passion for early motorcycles.Bythe time John –anelectrician by trade –joinedthe VMCC in 1963, he’d startedtoamass an extensive archive, to whichheaddedearly motorcycles and bic ycles John’sfavourite machines includedClement-powered
early Edwardianmodels,a1904 Humber and laterveterans, includingthe ex Tyrell-Smith Rudgewhichheimmensely enjoyed,aV-twinRex ,and awonderfullyoriginal 1914 Triumph,whichhesold to abest friend afew yearsago.
When John joinedthe SunbeamMCC in 1981, it didn’t takethe club longtorecognise his immense knowledge of pioneermotorcycles,leadingto him joiningthe SMCC Pioneer datingcommitteein1985. John wasappointedthe club’s Pioneer registrar in 1999, apostheheld until his death. All applicants
Fowlers 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
Belv oir Castle
Te Steamand Countr yshowat Belvoir Castle,Grantham, NG32 1PA, takes place over August 2325. Te eventofers acornucopia of pleasures,includingof course classicmotorcycles.Visit www.outdoorshows.co.uk for moredetails.
Enterthe rally
Anyvisitorsridingclassic and vintage bikes goingtothe Isle of Manfor the MGP/Classic TT areurged to enterthe VMCC’s ever-popular ClassicManx Rally (August20-28). Forregs, entr y formand schedulevisit vmcciom. organd go to the ‘rally’ page
were guidedbyhis considerate, frmand friendlyapproach.If possible,healwayswanted to add another motorcycleto the SMCC Pioneer Register, butonlyafter he and the committeewerehappy with the machine’s authenticity. What many applicants didn’t know, wasJohn sufereda catastrophic stroke in 1993. Trough hard work and determination, he learnt to walk again, albeit with apronounced limp, and in spiteoflimited useof one arm, developed techniquesto ride motorcycles again, including his belovedveterans.
John Wa ghorn, at the1 99 3 AngloD utch,aboar dhis vetera n
Alwayssmiling, helpful, jovial and kind, he neverdwelled on his ownlimitations and oft quipped:“Astrokehas at least one advantage... Inever hadto dance again!” RichardRosenthal.
Triump h.
SEPTEMBER
1900
Although from launchDe Dion Bouton engines were the unit of choice for many early motorcyclemakers, by 1900 rivals eyeinganother lucrative boom– as hadhappened recentlyinthe cycleworld –wereoferingproprietary engines.Brands include the SwissZL(Zurcher and Luthi), SaroleaofBelgium and, from France, the Aster, Buchet and Clementdesignedand built engines.OthersalsobuildDe Dion Bouton engines under licence,includingMMC (Britain) and Fafnir (Germany).
1925
Earlier in the year,BSA claimeditwas ‘Leadersof the Industr y’ and began employingthe advertising slogan ‘One in Four is aBSA’. Havingbuilt 26,042 machines in 1924, morethana quarter of the total British output, no one could argue. Ten BSAconfrmeditwould not exhibit at the autumn 1925 OlympiaShow. In August the frmannouncednew models, includingathree-speed version of the ‘Roundtank’
1950
Despitewinningthe Senior IoM TT,Ulsterand NationsGP Geof Duke (Norton) lostout in the 500cc WorldChampionship title chasebya single pointto the Italian UmbertoMasetti (Gilera).Bob Foster (Velocette) made up for missing outto Freddie Frith in 1949 to take the 350cc title,Dario Ambrosini
1975
De sp it ea nn ou ncin gh is re tir emen ta ft er br ea ki ng his pe lvis at te mp tin gt o ju mp 13 si ng le de ck bu se s in Lo ndon in Ma y1 974,
2000
Following three years’ design and developmentTriumph launchedits new Bonneville, amotorcyclewhich
Forthosewho blatantly copiedDeDion Bouton enginedesigns and disregard patents, the Frenchmaker issues warningnotices –in the USA, De Dion Bouton published: “WARNING…All personsare herebynotifed that the De Dion &Bouton Gasoline Companies are patented in the United States (No. 593,877, datedNovember 16, 1897),and arewarned that anyinfringementofthis motor by its manufacturer, sale or usewill be prosecuted to the full extentofthe law.”
Model B, the SuperSports 350cc with revised valvegear andaclaimedtop speedof 73-75mph,and confrmedthe slopingengine Hulse-Briggs designedohv 500cc wasin production for 1926.
Te all-new slopingengine Model Swould cost£47-10s andthe faster, 75mph Super Sports waspricedat £53. A bargain,whichdespiteBSA’s absencefromthe year ’s London Show,would ensure full order books.
(Benelli) the 250cctrophyand Bruno Rufo (Mondial) the 125cc title.And therewas no stoppingEricOliver(Norton), crewed this year by Lorenzo Dobelli, who with three wins from three starts held the Ercole Frigerio/Ezio Ricotti (Gilera) partnership at arm’slength in runner-up spot.
st un tm an Ev el Kn ie ve l anno unce dh ew as to ju mp 14 G re yh ou nd bu se s at Cincinn at i, Oh io in Oc to be r1 975.
combinedclassic lines and up-to-datetechnolog y.
RichardRos enthal.
Bo ok Review
“Te PantherStory” Te Stor yofPhelon &Moore –Revis ed edition
Author : Barr yM Jones
Published by: Barr yM Jones, Unit 2, Rustic Crafts Workshop, BixleyLane,Beckley, Rye, EastSussexTN31 6TH (First publishedbyPanther PublishingLtd.)
Born outofanassociation of Joah Phelon with Harr yRayner, thelatterbeingunfortunately killedinaroadaccident in 1904, anew partnership with RichardMoore founded the long-standingcompany of Phelon and Moore. Incorporated in 1908, Phelon &Moore Ltdwereone of the earliestand mostsuccessful of the pioneersofmotorcycling, outlastingmanymorefamous names,tofnallyclosein1966. From the beginning, theyproducedsolid, wellconstructed and reliable machines whichperformed well at homeand throughout ‘the colonies’towheremany early P&Mswereexported. Teygaineda reputation for beingsuperbSix Days Trials machines and were always well representedinendurance events,both at homeand abroad. Te name ‘Panther’frst appeared in the early 1920s for the sportingmodels whichwere, and their successors still are, surprisinglyquick, comfortable and reliable machines. However, it is often overlooked that 18-year-old P&M apprentice TommyBullus fnishedinanimpressive fourth place in the 1925 Isle of ManSenior TT.Perhaps also not so well known wasthe frm’sreputation as innovators From their very frst days, Pantherswerealwaysatthe forefrontofthe technology of the period,beginningwith
their useofthe engine as an integral part of the frame; their championingofall chain drive; the introduction of two- and then four-speed gears; the earlyintroduction of overhead valves ;twindippingheadlight and interconnected brakes Terewereawide variety of Panthersmade, from lightweightmachines,using Villiersengines and the famous 250cc ohvRed Panther (sold by the London dealer Pride &Clark for just £29.17s.6d), to the ahead-ofits-time Panthette transverse V-twin and, late in the day, the Princessscooter.All are lovinglydescribed in this book as well as the completehistory of the company and the people that made,rodeand sold Panther motorcycles from their earliestdaysuntil the fnal Panther left the Cleckheaton worksinYorkshirein1966. Author Barr yM Jones was previously the Librarianof the PantherOwners’ Club.In researchingthis book,Barry hasinter viewed countless former employees and owners of Panther motorcycles and in researchingarchives, has establishedanimmenselibrar y of original documentation. Tis excellent, high-qualitybook represents the culminationof over 20 years’ research –itis alsoaver ygood read and one that Ihighlyrecommend Book reviewed by Jonathan Hill.
Jolly boys’outing
For the launchofthe 1959 model range, Triumph took to the Shropshirehills,with MD Edward Turner leading the ride out.
With the advantage of hindsight, us fans of ‘old bikes’would mostlikelylookbackand think the launchofTriumph’s 1959range must’ve all been aboutthe Bonneville, as it wasthe debutofa name whichindeed continues to be used by the Triumph company today, and is probably the mostfamous name in British motorcycling.
But, readingthe report publishedin Te MotorCycle of October23, 1958, which accompanies this pictureinits original printing, the new model barely merits a mention,and when it does,it’snearthe end and arather witheringopinion, to boot
In ajointreportwritten by BobCurrieand Alan Baker, there’slittle pretendinganything other than this wasa ‘jolly’ –infact,the piece starts thus :
“Te objectofthis operation”ran the preamble to ourordersofthe day, “isto extend some hospitalitytoour friends of thePress,and at the same timetogivethem some opportunityofridingall models in the 1959 range.”Which sums up,ver yneatly, the Triumphexpedition to Shropshire. Hospitality? Yes, indeed aver yconvivial Tursdayeveningatthe Long MyndHotel, with the tribeofscribes swappingyarns around the dinner table with the topmost brassofthe Triumph organisation, headed by Edward Turner himself.”
Te report then goesonto explain:‘there wasamoreserious side to the outing ’and testifes howCurrieand Bakerdecidedto ride to the rendezvoushotel, takingthe new-for-1959 500cc 5TASpeed Twin and its smaller sibling, the 350cc Twenty-One, reasoningthat ‘…since the1959 Speed Twin is virtuallyaTwenty-One with biggerpots, a direct comparisonshould proveinteresting.’ Te rest of the feet were takenthereand next morning, after said convivial evening, Currie elected to ride the TigerCub.“HadItoplace the variousTriumphs in order of personal popularity the little Cubwould be rightatthe top. It hasthe boundless charmofapuppy.”
After thrashingabout on the little single, Currie hada spell on theTunderbird’s pillion, then electedtoride that same model back to Meriden as it was“my second favourite model in the Triumph line-up…I likenedthe TigerCub to an energetic puppy, butthe Tunderbirdreminds me of abig, lovable St Bernard.”
Whereupon Currie hands over the narrativevoice to Baker, who opines of the Tunderbird: “I feel that the St Bernard is perhapsa shade toocumbersome a
beastfor the simile to be trulyapt –aSt Bernardcrossed with agreyhound perhaps gives amorerealistic picture, for the 6T is undoubtedly lithe as well as lusty.”
Butfor the ride back,Baker chosetotake the 500cc Tiger100 –which, remember, wasstillinits pre-unit form, for the T100A ‘bathtub’and all wastocome in 1960. Baker says its (the Tiger100’s) performance was ‘almostidentical to the Tunderbird.’But,he added: “I must have changedgearatleast twice as often as Currie.”
Bakerpassedhis judgementonthe 5TA(“I rate it amongthe mostdesirable of presentdaytouring fve-hundreds”) and the Tiger 110 he rode too(“certainly aroadburner”) buthewas lesskeenonthe Bonneville.“I would not be interested in its[theTiger 110’s] souped-up brother,the new Bonneville 120, forroadwork. Admittedlythe T120 we hadwas sub-standard–apparentlythe result of pistonseizureonthe waythere–but while itspower wasenormous when the engine wasturningoverbriskly, therewas
marked temperamenttogowith it.Starting required alot of efortand slow-runningwas decidedlylumpy.” Bakeralsomanaged ago on aTR6 Trophytoo,for ‘a brief excursion of the road.’
In the picture, that’s Alan Baker(Te Motor Cycle’s technical editor) on the left,aboard registration number 289 AAC, whichis either the Tiger100 or 110. Next bikealong is what lookstobethe TR6 Trophy, though it’s largelyobscuredbythe fgureofperhaps BobCurrie. ATiger Cubisunmistakable,
while the twin-carbBonnie –290 AAC–has been parked up.Directlybehindthe seat of that,isEdwardTurner,ona Twenty-O ne, while therelooks to be apoliceman strolling past too! Triumph’s Neale Shilton is maybe the chap in the whitehelmet with hisback to camera, while there’sa manwho looks very much likeAllan Jeferies (standingleft of centre, dark helmet with goggles on top) and rightatthe back it’s Hugh Palin, director of the Manufacturers’ Association. He’s behind the new 5TASpeed Twin. End
The‘engine’of TheClassic MotorC ycle magazine is jointlyfuelled by the passions of thosewho putittogetherand thosewho read it;one without theother simply won’twork. So we hope we can persuade youtobecomepar tofour communit ywith asubscriptiontoour magazine so we can, together, traver se thehighwaysofmotorcyclinghistory.
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scooter Self-built
CanadianWing Commander and passengeraboardthe scooter the RoyalCanadian Air Forceflier had designed and built.
The accompanyingimage was published(under the heading of ‘Enclosureasa fneart’) in the May4,1944, edition of TeMotor Cycle, with the caption:“Tispictureshows Wing Commander TFCooperwith ascooterhe hasdesigned. Te intriguedyoungsteris the sonofafyingofcer. As canbeseen, the general proportions of themachine areexcellent, while theenclosureis reallysuperb.”
Main body of the copy wasstarted with a sub-heading–and this copies the then-used capitals –whichwent: “NeatandClever Design of ScooterEvolved by aCanadian Wing Commander for Airfeld Work.”
It continues :“Some ideas of the possibilities of total enclosureare illustrated by this striking motor scooterevolved by Wing Commander TFCooper, of theRoyal Canadian AirForce.WingCommander Cooper is of ahighlyinventiveturn of mind, and thisisnot the onlyingeniouspiece of machiner yhehas produced. Te scooter is made up from salvaged materials,and is used by the commanding ofcerofa Winnipeg repair dept to getaroundtoany pointofthe bigdepot,with aminimum expenditureofpetrol.
“Aninterestingfact aboutthe machine is that, despitethe enclosure, the fourstroke engine does not overheat even in thehottest of weather. Tis is becausethe engine is cooledbyablower incorporated in thefywheel.
“Te engine unit is a1.3hpJohnson Chore Horse, with ignition by fywheelmagneto. An oil-type air-cleaner is ftted.”
Tereare other details whichaccompany the main picture, and in thesefurther facts arerevealed, includingthe obser vation:“Te controlsare extremelyneat. Both throttle and clutch areoperatedbytwist grips, while thereisonlyone brake. Behind the steering column is the ignition switch.”
Afurther caption accompanieda pair of pictures of the unclothedmachine,which were captionedthus: “Tesetwo pictures showingthe machine minus its cowlingreveal the general layout. Te ofside view of the machine shows the inclinedside-valveengine, the air cleaner and the simple kick-starter arrangement. Construction of the frame is both neat and ingenious ;muchofitisbuilt from scrapTiger Moth fuselage tubing. Te nearside view shows the casing around the blowerinthe fywheel. Tis blowerprovides
