MOTORING

VINTAGE

Motorcycling with Rod Hann

ITS CHRISTMAS time once again so may I wish all readers, and the staff at The Visitor, a very Happy Christmas and a happy and healthy New Year. I hope the new year brings you all that you would wish for yourselves, and that we all get full enjoyment from our old vehicles throughout 2023.

Details of events during January are a bit scant at the time of going to press but here are some that are already known to whet your appetite. Starting with the Somerset Section they have a New Year's Day Meet on the 1st but the location is not yet known. Next on the 5th will be the club night at Cossington, and this will be in the form of a film show. The Dorset Section also have a New Year's Day Meet at Sturminster Newton on the 1st. Club night at Pulham on the 11th will be a guest speaker, and on the 15th there is a Winter Run which starts from Dikes Supermarket in Stalbridge. The Wessex Veteran and Vintage Section have their club meet at Silton Hall on the 9th. There may be other events planned so keep an eye on the various web sites or get more details by ringing 01935 872528.

My photo this month is of a machine which has not featured in these pages before. It shows a Velocette LE from the 1960's. Velocette was a long established company which started producing bikes just prior to the First World War. Always renown for making good quality four stroke single cylinder machines but they also made excellent two stroke machines during the 1920's and 30's. In the late 1940's they introduced the LE model (LE standing for Little Engine). They were very innovative in that it was a flat twin cylinder engine which was water cooled. Early machines had engines of 148cc and later ones were increased to 199cc.

The LE engines always ran very quietly and became popular with police forces so the officer could sneak up on the baddies without being noticed, very quickly the name ‘Noddy Bike’ became universally adopted. Made alongside the larger four stroke machines production of these machines continued until around 1970 when the demise of the company came about. Now the LE has a cult following and many can be found giving sterling service.

Christmas and the New Year seems a time when thoughts are turned to next year's holiday. For many keen motorcyclists that could well mean a trip to the Isle of Man for the races. The TT in 2023 runs from the 3rd June to the 10th with the previous week reserved for the practice sessions. Alternatively you may plump for the Manx or Classic TT which will take place from the 25th August to the 28th.

The TT will be following its familiar format but some of the machine classes have been changed in recent years. Confusing even for a motorcycle fan such as myself. Be sure you know what you will be watching before you book and spend that hard earned cash.

The format for the Manx changed this last year. Gone are some of the classic races and with fewer races the Manx Week is now condensed into a four day long weekend. Again be careful to know what you will be seeing before you book. Some people are less keen on the new format.

The TT and Manx are the biggest tourist events to take place on the island each year. The TT used to attract around 45,000 visitors from all over the world, and the Manx slightly less at around 30,000. Attendances at both are down in recent years and the dilution of the race series, together with the rising costs involved, are partially to blame.

I know that holding the races does cause much disruption on the island, closing of the main roads for example, but this disruption is inevitable when holding this massive event. More tourists of course means more revenue being generated and that is the lifeblood of the island’s economy.

Having considered all options if you fancy a trip to the island in 2023 then I suggest you make your bookings without delay. Accommodation is not the problem it once was but getting your desired sailing times is more difficult. Most people book one year to the next for both accommodation and travel so get in early.

Will I be going in 2023? I could be easily tempted to attend the long weekend of the Manx. Have I booked yet, well of course not! I do love the island and think it a magical place and perhaps the Manx fairies will bless me if I do go, no-one dares to cross Fairy Bridge without saying ‘Good Morning’ to the fairies and giving them a salute.

Yeovil Auto Tuning CLASSIC CAR REPAIRS  ● Repairs and Servicing Specialists ● MOT Testing – Classes IV, V and VII also Motorhomes ● Engine Tuning ● Brakes, Clutches, Gearboxes ● Competitive Rates ● Professional, Reliable, Friendly Service ● Specialising in VW T4 + T5 Vans ● Revo Engine Re-Mapping (VW and Audi Group)

Established OVER 30 YEARS 1960's Velocette LE.