Classic Dirt Bike Spring 2025 issue **20 PAGE FREE PREVIEW**
AMCA’S YEARINPICS
BONKEY’S BEAUT
Whatcouldhave been…
Let ’s get it out thererightaway. Service providers need to know if the ser vice they ’reprovidingisworking because withoutfeedback how cananyone know if whatthey do is good,bad or indiferent? It is asubjec ttouched upon occasionallyinthis column and we allenjoy abit of positivefeedback on whateverwe’ve done.Personally, Ipreferthe muchmore direc tfeedback gained fromface-to -face contac twith readers in this instance, but years ago when Iwas onthe tools such feedback would be about somethingI’d made or ak itchen I’dftted. Whilst on the one hand laudingthe request forfeedback , Iquestion whether or notanyoneactually follows up on what’ssaid in such sur veys, and this is awholediferentmatterofcourse Anyway,whatprompted this comment on the sur veyindustr ywas after aFacebook Messenger call to my youngest lad, acall which lasted lessthan10seconds,but there wasa ‘satisfac tion sur vey’ which lasted considerably longer thanthat.
Thegist of my call wastotellhim I’d changed aseal in the fork leg of his Fantic, as I’dnoticed it weeping during oneofmy ‘Caring Dad ’episodes as Iwas observing at my ownclub’s trial andhauled hisbike out foraride just to make sureit wasin prime condition… or wasitthe only one rideableinthe garage? Iforgetwhich now… Ending the call broughtfor th the qualit y questionnairerequest
Some of the questionsonthesesur veys areobvious and relevant, while othersmake
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It seemsast houg hevery aspect of life thesedays comesw it ha ‘sat isfact ion’ survey af terit
❝…thiswillalwaysbeatthe furthest pointawayf romthe back-upvehicle and, in thecaseofat rialsbike, it will be in a gulley…❞
youwonder just who cameupwith them and whythey think it agood idea. Having an occasional abstrac tmind, Ibegan to wonder whatitwould be like to fip this sur vey thing upside down and whatmylad ’s Fantic would sayifitcould answer asur veyonthe attention it received from me?
So,Fan t ic 201, wo ul dyou answer afew q uest ions abo ut yo ur ex per iencetoday? Yo uwou l d? Go od.A re yo u: Under 20 0cc? Over 200cc? Under.Wha ta ge grou pa re yo u? 1970-197 9, 19 80-1989, 199 0-1 999 ? Prefer not to say? 1980- 1989. Wa st he wo rk to daye ssen tial or co smetic? Essen tial and so on un til the final bit of ‘Have yo u anycom men ts?’ co mes up.H ereweh avea chancetos ay in afew wo rd sa ny co mmen t which do esn’t fit the gu ided answer questions preceding.Wha twould the Fa nt ic sayi fi tcou ld? Wo uld it saymym echanical sk ills we re acce ptable and backed up with the co rrec ttools fo rt he task ,o rs hou ld I have stuck to wo odwor k? Na tu ra lly,t he Fa nt ic can’t fill in as ur ve yb ut it ,a long with anyo th er motorcycle,h as it sown wayo fe xpressing clien ts at isfac tion… It stops wo rk ing…t his will alw aysb ea tt he fur thest poin tf ro mt he back-u pvehicle, and,i nt he case of at ri als bike,i tw ill be in ag ulley where, if it co uld fill in the su rvey, it wo ul ds ta te,‘ Me chanical sk ills ze ro ou t of 10.’
If youfeel this lastbit waswritten from personal experiencethen youwould be correc t, because early in my trials riding,I tried to squeezeanextra trial out of aset of points and condenser on a250 Montesa. In par tthis wasbecause Iwas never very clever at setting up such ignitions and countedit a successifthe bike ranafter my attention
in this area. Theinevitable happened and all signofa sparkdisappeared midway through arock ystream sec tion. Nor th East Centre riders mightk nowofthe sec tion, referred to as ‘back of the Moorcock ’, with the ‘M oorcock ’ being apub –sadly closed.I tisalong way from the road and therewas little hope of rescue even oncethe bike had been hauled up to the track from the gulley it wasin. Even moreexcitingasthe trial wasonly a mile or three from home,I’d stood down the senior member of the team with the car and trailer and ridden there. Did Imention it wasNovember? No? It was, and blooming cold with it.Also,dear reader,remember this wassolong ago,motorcycles had only just been invented and the telecommunications industr ywas hailinganalogue as the new thing with semaphorestill around and digital satellitecommunications reser ved forsci-fflms.Eventually reaching the road and the phone box, the emergenc y10p came into playand aphone call wasmade. Eventually rescue happened,the organisers of the trial were informed I’dbeheading home,and therewas justthe af termathto deal with… and friendly parental advice alongthe lines of,‘Serves youright…’ Thankfully,I wasn’t ofered asatisfac tion sur veytofll in.
Regulars
03 In Balance
Customer satisfaction grabsthe editor’s attention this issue… or the surveysweare asked to fll in about ourexperience.
06 News andViews
OK, aquarterlypublication, struggles to be news-topical. Thesedayssuch arole is handled by the glance-andgone internet, butwestill fll four pageswith juicynews.
42 Subscr ibe
All youneed to knowaboutgetting CDB to drop on your doormat.
50 Dirt Products
Aselection of bits and pieces which will help yougofaster, stayfaster longer,and improveyour gear changing, as well asstopping when you’refast enough.
60 JD’s view
As expected, someone with along historyofmotorcycle involvement has atale or two… our manrelates them here.
71 Dirt Talk
Once upon atime readers’letters came by post, in an envelope.These days they’remorelikelytobesent electronically, but just as welcome though.
82 Moto Memories –GrahamNoyce
When Graham Noyce crossed the line at Namur to becomeWorld 500ccMX Champion, he ended a14-year gap between the last Brit to winthe title.
Features
11 Tw in time
The pace in the pre60 MX class is hotting up and asingle doesn’tcut it anymore… so Yella Belly Racing went ‘twin’ on aBeezer,ofcourse
20 Flashback–Montesa Cappra
Arthur Browning wasinvitedtoride Montesa’s Capprafor afeaturein1974… Here’shis opinion.
24 From thearchive –Beezers in tr ials
Lighter… lighter… and lighterstill wasthe trials mantra. BSA realisedthisand put trials tyres on their newlightweight C15roadster
34 Bigger equals better?
Hmmm, it depends on whoyou talk to,but Jock Wilson at Comerfords felt BSA’s Victor Enduro could be adecent trials bike
38 Keepingcool
Using aliquid to maintain acorrect working temperaturebringsmanybenefts to adirt bike.
44 Workshop time
Lots of activity in the workshop,mainlyon getting bikesreadytoberegistered while waiting on welders.
62 Amer ican Eagle
Renaming amotorcycle for aparticular market isn’tuncommon… Spritedid it with their new 405 for the American market.
73 Just in time
Using aBultaco in pre65 events is fraught with diffculty.The Sherpa wasaround beforethe cut-off date,but it wasadifferent beast to the Miller design.
Events
54 Spor ting action
Feet up,fat-out… Trials and MX action from the world of sport as AndyWithers and Peter Futers point their camerasatriders.
On thecover
Caught fying high by AndyWithers is AJSrider Sam Pocock, proving thereare morethan Triumph twins out therebeing raced… and the pre60 class is looking healthy with avariety of bikes being raced.
Want to tell us aboutafor thcoming event, or have anyother dirt bike news to share? EmailCDBEditor@mor tons.co.uk or trackdownthe editor at adir tbikeshoworevent.
Showtime at Telford and Stafford
It’sabit odd to be writing about the Hagon Shocks backed CDB showat TelfordInternational Centreinthisissue as it is still acouple of weeksaway. Yetby the time the production process happens it will just have gone on sale as the show opens.
Still, in case youg et your copyon the morning of theshowand thinking, ‘Should I, shouldn’tI?’, if youdogo along, you’ll see loads of great dirtbikes
Scott Tr ial dinner
Everyfve years thereisasocial gathering of trials riders associated with the toughest one-daytrial in the world. This association maybeasa former rider,current rider,organiser, or simplyanenthusiast. The eventis The ScottTrial, andthe social gathering, The Scott Trial Dinner.Heldatthe King’sHead, Richmond,last November in support of the Scott Charities, it waswellattended by generations young and old, with Teesside’sGordon McLaughlin reckoned to be the oldest former rider on hand. Master of Ceremonies wasformer winnerAlan Lampkin, aposition he inherited when former BSA works riderTom Ellis handed over thereins.
Alan introduced speakers including Yorkshireman NickJefferies and Gloucestershire’sTonyDavis, who regaled the guests with talesoftheir time in Scott Trials past. By the end of the evening after afat cap had gone round, the Scott Trial Charitieswere better off to the tune of £510. Well done toeveryone who attended, and we’ll see youinfour-and-a-bit years.
Sevenformerwinners were on hand.T heir wins areinbracket sand from thelef tare Jonathon Richardson(1),Way ne Braybrook(1),PhilAlder son (4), AlanL ampk in (1), Ar thur Lampkin(3),Rob Shepherd (1)and Gerald Richardson(2).
from all eras, andlots of peoplewith the same mind-set as you. There’ll be plenty of bits and inspiration plus our twospecial guests,Graham Noyceand MickAndrews. Ifyou don’tgoalong,read about the showinissue75and seewhat youmissed.
Thereistime to remind youofthe Classic MotorCycle ShowatStafford CountryShowground on April 26/27. There’ll be lots of dirtbike bits there,
too, as well as guest of honour Henry Cole,star of televisionshows suchas The MotorbikeShowand Find It, Fix It, FlogIt. Advance tickets arepriced at £16.50, while on-the-gateentryis£21. Under-16s go free,makingitthe perfect dayout for families. Don’tmiss your chance to be part of this unmissable celebration of motorcycling heritage.For tickets and moreinformation, visit www classicbikeshows.com
There’saf airbit of silver ware associate dwiththe Scot tTrial and thenames engraved on each trophy make forinteres ting reading.
World trialclassic celebration
At the last round of the WTC in Ripoll over September13-15, 2024, theFIM organised acelebration for the 50th anniversaryof the World Championship and the 25th anniversaryofthe Women World Championship.The Works Trials Bikes Owners Grouporganiseda displayof15genuine championshipwinning bikes. Lined up and on displaywerebikesfromYrjo Vesterinen’s1977 Bultaco to Tony Bou’s2024 machine.The line-up also included twowinning machinesfrom the ladies championship
Among manypast andpresent world champions attending the ceremonyand the gala dinnerwas TommyAvhala, not seen for along time,and also some greatnames from the earlydaysof the Spanish industry, including PedroPiand Oriol Bulto
Don Morl ey Ar ch iv e
Hitchcocks Motorcyclesare thrilled to announce that theyare now owners, copyright holders and custodians of the Don Morley photographyarchive collection. This amazing collection covers more than fvedecades of motorcycle racing including GrandPrix and Isle of Man TT,aswellasoff-road events suchasthe ISDT,Scottish, and manyother smaller events.
The Fifties and Sixties areoften considered thegolden years of GP racing, and this collection has a superb selection of imagesfrom that era. Names suchasGeoff Duke, John Surtees, Mike Hailwood and Bob McIntyreare just some of the riders that feature in the archive. Thereare also excellent imagesthat depict the manyprivateers that battled for world championship points.
The Seventies, atime of great technological change, areextremely well represented with imagesincluding Jarno Saarinen, KennyRoberts and BarrySheene,a fabulous photographic documentation of that two-stroke era. In thedirtbike world, greats like SammyMiller,the Lampkins, and Jeff Smith feature, as well as many lesser-known riders. The collection contains imagesthat reachinto the new millennium, covering over 50 years of competition. Allan Hitchcocksaid: “We areimplementing plans to digitise the
archive,a tall order givenanestimated 750,000 imagesincluding monochrome flm and transparencyslides.”
Don Morleycommented: “I have greatlyadmired what Allan and his team of enthusiasts have done for the Royal Enfeld Marque and we RE enthusiasts for agreat manyyears, and hence when Allan approached me to ask if Imight consider parting with my lifetime’swork and my entiremotorcycling picturelibrary, Icould notthink of anyone Ibetter.
“Although even the very thought of losing my archivewas,and still is, heartbreaking, Ialsorecognised that all
the good things have to come to an end at some stage and although previously Ihaveturned down numerous such requests from others, in Allan’sinstance Idid nothavetothink for long because Igenuinelybelieve he andhis team will make my pictures andwords farmore availabletoothersthan Ihavemanaged to do over recent times.
“In short, Inot only wish him every success with everything he and his team do in whatevercontext, but also hope Iwill see my oldpictures popping up more often,and in farmoreplaces than ever in the care of Allanand his team.”
What aline- up!Championship -winningmachines ever yone
Memb er softhe Work sTrialsBikegroup,f romthe left:Patrick Pissis,JoanForellad, OlivierBarjon, Joan Pere Santure, Valenti Fonsere, Memb er softhe Work sTrialsBikes Owners Group.
Spanishof- road le gendsOriol Bultoand Pe droPi.
Amontage of images from theD on Morley Archive.
One of the popular two-daytrials nowattracting large entries is the CDB editor’sown club’sBaa Classic
Based in the Durham Dalesat Edmundbyers, near Consett,this two-daytrial features traditional sections with amix of moorland terrain and rockystreams, and is a good ride out.
The Baa dates for thisyear are June 28/29, and will be around of the SorraChampionship.The club is Castleside Trials Club,and entry details areonthe club’swebsite www.castlesidetrialsclub.com
The organisers stress that the trial is over twodays, with results counting for both days.Castleside Trials Clubhavefve other trials this year and the dates are:
March 30 at Lambshield Farm
May11atBedburn
June 8atWestButsfeld
August 23/24, the Baa Modern at Edmundbyers
November 2atLambshield Farm
Entrydetails on the club website www.castlesidetrialsclub.com
King of theCastle Called toThe Baa
Highland Class ic Two-DayTri al
Once again, the Inverness DMCC will be holding the Highland Classic Two-DayTrial at Alvie Estate.The date is June 7/8, and entries opened on February1.This year the trial, billed as the friendliest classic trial in Scotland, will celebrate British TwoStrokes. There’saslight change to theformat as there’stobe aLairdJamie’s Challenge on the ‘B’ route.This will consist of areduced number of sections for riders who feel the full course is too much but still want to experience the event. Forentrydetails go to www.idmcc.netor the club’sFacebook page
Riders preparefor thes tart at theHighlandClassic Two- Dayin2024.
Entries aren ow op en for the Cumb ria Tw inshockK ing of the Castle meeting at Fa rleig hC astl eo nJuly5 /6. This is one of the most anticipated events of the ye ar and regularly
meeting at Fa rleigh is twoweeks later, Ju ly 19/20, and is the Wo rld Ve ts MX, al though entries op ened on Ja nu ary 29 so maya lreadyb ef ull.
DavidBraithwaite trickles his325 Suzuki throughthe riversec tion at theBaa Classic2024.
Th eN ext
Ge nerat ion
The thirdand fnal book on British Motocross by Geoff Shuttleworth is nowavailableto order by post or pickup at the Hagon-backed Classic Dirt Bike Showat Telford, on the Cumbria Twinshockstand in Hall 3.
The book covers the period 1990-1996 when Kurt Nicoll wasbreaking records in titles, but therewereseveral other riders all capable of winning, including Rob Herring, Paul Malin, JemWhatleyand Paul Cooper
If youare into facts and fgures it’sall in there, with reports, results, points and pictures from everyround, and also everyBritish Grand Prix, and all the other
Pre65 Scottish Two-Day
By thetime this is published the entries will have closed, the ballots done, and successful riders willhave been notifed theyhavethe option of accepting arider in the 2025 Pre65 Scottish TwoDayTrial. Riders shouldn’t need reminding that the trial containsroadworks so your motorcycle and rider shouldberoad legal. Based
in Kinlochleven, it will be on May2/3, and it will be sunny… like last year… but don’t blamethe club or CDB editor if it isn’t! Theclub would like to remind spectators that thereisonlypermission for riders and offcials to be on the trial route,soplease don’t followyour mate,orhavea go round, as it will jeopardise theevent
National Championships.
The book is £20 if collected or £24 by post. Contact Geoff Shuttleworth by email at geoff.shuttleworth121@ outlook.com
Charte r ho us e a
uction dates
Charterhouse,the familyrun auctioneers basedin Sherborne,Dorset, have sent in the dates for their 2025 Classic Motorcycle Auctions:
March 13
June 5
October 9
If you’reinterested in going along or havingthem handle asale for you, then contact them via their website www.charterhouseauction.com and go to the classic motorcycle section.
Gallowaye xt ra
Formotocross enthusiasts the GallowayClub will hold twoother motocrossevents in 2025.
April 6– Aclassic/ twinshockmotocross event incorporating around of The Northern Classic &Twinshock Championship at Dalbeattie near Dumfries. Sunday, October 19 –A
classic/twinshock100 Mile Team Scramble at Dalbeattie near Dumfries.
The club will also host a full series of trialsthroughout the year,including aclub championship,aswell as avaried rangeofroad runs. Seetheir website www.gallowaymcc.com for moreinfo.
Northern Classic and Twinshock Championship
After afew unexpected event cancellations last year,the Northern Classic and TwinshockMotocross Championship is all setfor 2025withsix rounds planned.
The Scottish Classic Racing MC join the GallowayMCC, Westmorland MC and the YorkshireTwinshockClub in hosting an event.
Over 250 riders enjoyedthe fun last season and there is no registration fee for the series, but riders must be a member of one of the clubs.
Abig thanksgoesout to the 2024 sponsors, Ellie BrownatWulfsport, Pete Williamson at BuryMotorcycles, and Dave Ellis at DLE Construction, andif anyone would like to support the series going forward, please contact the above clubs at the Telford Classic DirtBike show.
The classes include Pre60/65/68/78 for the classic bikesand 125/250 andagerelated classes forthe twinshocks.
Theprovisional dates andvenues are as follows:
April 6 GallowayMCC at Dalbeattie
April 27 Westmorland MC at Crooklands Showground, near Kendal
June 22 YorkshireTSC at Grange Moor,Huddersfeld
July 13 Westmorland MC at Helsington, Kendal
August 3Scottish Classic RMC at Bassenthwaite,Keswick
August 10 YorkshireTSC at Brookhouse,Lancaster
BenBut terwor th tack ling Caolasnacoan in 2024.
Thecover of Ge of ’s newb ook.
It’sback!
The GallowayMotorcycle Club are delighted to announce thattheywill return to Drumlanrig Castle on August 22/24. This fagship event will once again be generouslysponsored by AMD Contract Services.
Over the weekend therewill be grasstrackracing, classic and twinshockmotocross, motorcycle trials, road runs, static bike displays, lawnmowerracing, andmuch, much more. It reallywill be an event forall the family.
The fun starts with road runs, one on the Thursday evening forany motorcycle and another on the Friday morning for classic bikes only. Friday evening seesthe start of the on-track action with Drumlanrig’smuchcelebrated grasstrackevent taking place. Saturdayand Sundaywill have the motocrossers vyingfor honours on afast-fowing, spectator-friendlytrack in the shadowofthe castle itself.
Saturday evening entertainment will include‘The Gathering’, when aselection of motocross champions, sponsors, celebrities andenthusiasts from different eras of the sport will be interviewedonstage about their experiences in the rough-and-tumble world of motocross. And,watch out, theremight even be aworldchamp (or two) in the mix. It should be fun! Later on, the live bandwill be playinginthe beer tent.
Sundaywill see the ‘feet-up’ guys and girls competing forhonourson arangeofvaried andchallenging sections suitablefor all abilities. The trial takes place within the spectacular landscapeofthe castle grounds and is open to modern, twinshockand classic machines. The awardceremony will take place in the main marquee earlyonSunday evening.
So, if you’ve been to Drumlanrig beforeorifit’syourfrsttime you reallywon’tbedisappointed. Youcan visit the castle andgardens, witness some seriouslycompetitive motorcycle sport, or enjoysome of the additional activities on offer.And, of course,therewill be food outlets, abeertent andlivemusic. Camping is availableatthe circuit.
Forfurther news on Drumlanrig and all events forthis year go to www.gallowaymcc. com or visit the club Facebook page Scrambles entries opened on January15. Competitors can email Geoff Shuttleworth for entryinfo at geoff.shuttleworth121@outlook. com
Rocket power
BecauseBSA hadthe iconic Gold Star single as itsflagship MXer in theFif ties,the company’st winrange wasoverlookedasfar as scrambling wasconcerned
Words
Thereislittle doubtclassic sport has awide rangeofmotorcyclesinitand the reasons for choosing aparticular make or model can vary considerably.Sometimes the choice istodo with seeing what’swinning, other times the choice is simplybecause abike is availableand couldbe pressed into action. One of the biggest reasons for settling on acertain model though is because itfts in withwhat’salready being raced.
Just suchasituation happened withMicky Allen, whose Gold Star we featured last issue.The Goldie is afne motorcycle,the mainstayofscramblingin the Fifties when anyone who wasanyone had to be on the sporting single to have anychance of winning. Problem is, the Goldie wasnever an easy machine to look afterand even BSA found inthe earlySixties its successes in scrambling or MX were increasingly moretodowith who wasonitasitcame to the end of its working life
Above: Thepre60 class tendstohavemachines whichrefec twhatwas beingraced in theday
When the classic scene fred up Gold Stars, other big singles also got anew lease of life and with fewerrestrictions on capacity,for example,most were working waybetter thantheyeverdid in the day. Still, historydoes often repeat itself and the big singles begantobeoutclassed again, not by foreign two-strokes as happened in the Sixties butbytwincylinder machines. The Allen equipe –Micky and his dad Harold –knewinorder to remain competitive in the pre60 class atwin wasgoing to be needed. For BSA enthusiasts suchasthe Allens therewas little doubtthe twin would have to come from Small Heath, though therewas ashortperiod when aunit Triumph 3TAtrials bike wasbuilt andused successfully. However, forthe pre60 scrambles class the bike would have to be BSA, whichmeant A7 or A10. There’s nothing wrongwith the A7 andinfact it has adecent competition pedigree,including ISDT gold medals and winning the Daytona 200 but it’sonly500cc.
and pics: Tim Britton Media Ltd Archive pics: Mor tons Archive
The Allen Goldie wasalreadyat604cc and while it maybepossible to take the A7 capacity up abit, getting to 600cc would likelymake for afragile engine As standard, BSA’s A10 twin wasalready 40cc bigger thanthe well-fettled Goldie that Mickywas racing, so wasanobvious choice
Speaking of choice,thereisquite abit of choice where650 BSAs areconcerned, though some are moresuitablethan others. There is the GoldenFlash, withits all-iron topend;thenthere’sthe Road Rocket, with an alloyhead and some enginetuning. This was followedbythe Super Rocket for 1958which had even moretuning and benefted fromsome redesign by BSA. Like its competitors, BSA also produced special models for the USA market and the Spitfre Scrambler, introduced in 1957, would have beenagood starting point but even in the Fifties it waspretty rare
Arguably BSA’s fnalA10 model, the Rocket Gold Star –withits almost exact copyof the GoldStar single frame –would have been allowableinthe pre60 classasitmeets the‘of thetype’ criteria, even ifit wasn’tavailableuntil early1962. Thefactthere was no need for the oil pump kink in the lower frame rail on the twin wasthe onlydifference betweenthem.
The Allens though prefer to work withinthe rules and the rules say‘before1960’ so thechosen base for this stunning 650 BSA twin is a1958 Super Rocket. BSA had housed its‘Arange’ twin in aswingingarm frame from the introduction of the 1954rangeand for 1958 had improved the frame so itwas getting reallyclose to the Gold Star type.Therewereother improvements for 1958 and the crank, for instance, wasbeefer and had asludge trap init; the timing sidebearing it raninwas uprated too,but thiswas of little concern here.So, all in all, adecentand legal start for the pre-1960 class.
To cope with the stressesofracing,BSA’s swinging arm reallyneeds abit of attention and it can twist
Above: Aneatand tidy enginebay,thoughthe twin engine is alit tle heavierthanthe Goldie single theAllensalso race
Below: Paying at tentiontothe chain line andhow it work s will result in amuch nicersuspensionaction andwillpay dividends in howlongchainslast.
under everyday road use,whichwas something Harold Allen had found when MoTing BSA models. Suffce tosay this swinging armismoreresistant to twisting. Up at the frontend the standardBSA steering head bearing, acup andcone affair probably on its limit in road use,isreplacedbyanSRM taper roller kit whichvastlyimproves thefront endofthe BSA. The standard A10 yokes areokaybut the forks ftted into them area bit special, being made up from 35mm Marzocchi stanchions in lightlymodded Norton sliders –whichsounds asimple thing but doesn’trefect the amount of work whichhas gone
Norton Roadholder forkswereapopular ftment to competition bikesinthe Fifties. Thesehavehad quiteabit of work done to them
Foldingfootrests aremounted in theoriginalpositionand also forthe stop forthe rear brakelever
into making these forks work. Thanks to thiswork it means the front end isn’toutclassedbythe Ohlins units on the rear in suspension performance
Both single and twin racedbyMicky arepretty similar in rolling chassis, whichmeans shouldan incident occur thenbits can be changed; obviously not the engine,but youknowwhat Imean.Which means the rear wheel on the A10 isthe same as the Goldie being built around aBSA B25 qd or ‘crinkle’ hub… crinkle because it has adistinctive shapetothe central hub.Alreadywith an alloybrake platethe hub is even lighter thanks to some fnefettling by Harold. Laced on to itisanalloyrim from Central Wheel and the rear wheel is fnishedoff with aDunlop 110/100tyre.
Up at the front end there is aGrimeca 7in full-widthhub of the type used by anumber of manufacturersinthe Fifties.This one on theA10 has hadthe same double bearingmodifcation as on their other bike so there’snochance of it wiltingunder pressure. Again, an alloyrim has been laced on by Central Wheel and afront Dunlop MX tyreprovides therubber.Using parts suchasthese helps in making the twin lighter and while it’s nevergoing to be a
Above: To ensure the engine lastsaslongas possible an oilflter is plumbedintothe oil system
lightweight bike,vital pounds arecarved off. Also helping in the weight saving arethe fuel and oil tanksasheresteel hasbeenreplaced with aluminium. Sitting on top of the frame is the petrol tank,whichisofthe style made by Lyta in the Fifties and Sixties andhas become known as the Gold Star pattern even though it wasseen on manyother models. It’sbig enough for acouple of gallons of the preferred super unleaded with adropofAvGas in the mix. To combat vibration the tank is rubber mounted and has acentral bolt fxing whichholds it securely in place yetallows fora little movement to prevent splitting of the alloy. Filler capisthe quick-release Monza type.With the framebeing all welded and
TO UR ER TO RACER
BSA’s 650 twin range beganin1950 with the Golden Flash, asolid and reliable tourer with areasonable turnofspeed and suitable forsidecar hauling too. Its70mm x84mm cast iron engine delivered 34bhp,was frstly housed inarigid,then aplunger frame and came in either black or beige.Therewas no factor ypretence of per formanceevenifthe motorcycle could top90mph. Not unnaturally therewerecalls fora version with abit moreoomph and this came with the Road Rocket afew years later, by which
time the rolling chassis had become swinging arm. TheRoadRocket had an alloyc ylinder head, higher compression pistons and aracier camshaftand in this form it would also become the Rocket (orSpitfre Scrambler forthe USA market). Rather confusingly the press called the expor t model Rocket Scrambler yetfactory brochures used the ‘Spitfre Scrambler ’ name.Suchconfusion would carry on until the end of the A10 rangewith the Rocket Gold Star,orA10 Gold Star Twin or…well,you getthe picture.
Team YellaBelly Raidersconsists of Harold Allen(left)and hisson Mick yAllen
with no seat pillar there’splenty ofroom under the seat for an alloybox to hold the oil. This one was made by Harold Allen andisshaped to go under the air flter whichkeeps the capacityup. It also has a hi-fo oil flter plumbed in so the oil is kept clean and fresh, whichall helps the engine’sreliability.
When we spoke about the engine Harold allowed it wasreasonably standardand notespecially highlytuned compared with other engines and even their ownGoldie.Mainreason for thisissimple pragmatism; therearen’tasmanybits for the A10, as certainother makes and the desirablebits are becoming scarce.For instance,the thickfang e barrels whichstanduptothe stresses of racing areheadingtowards theunobtainiumcategory.In this project they started with therevised A10 Super Rocket introduced for 1958. It addressed some of the concerns theRoad Rocket had when being uprated for competition work and madefor amuchbetter engine to beginthe work on.Alreadywith abeefer crankintroduced in thelate Fifties redesign, the Allen A10 also benefts from SRM’sroller bearing conversion. This replaces the plainbush, standard on even the high-performancetwins, and also moves theoil feed to the endofthe crank rather than feeding it through abush. Gonetoo areBSA’s standardcon rods and pistons –instead thereare Thunder Race billet rods with Italian-made pistons and while thecompression ratioisalittle higher
It ’s alit tlehigher, hasa little more suspension travel butstill mostly pre60BSA
Making BSA’s A10 go abit quicker is atrade -of, requiresa bit of thoughtand will oftendepend on the actual model of A10 being used and whatit’sbeing used for. As this is ascrambles featurethen we’llsay the ideal would be a fexible motor with plenty of gruntthrough the rev-range. Regular servicing is important, as is keeping fresh oil circulating.Thereisplenty of information out thereand BSA produced atuning leafet–lovetosee one ifanyone has acopy–and thereare alternativecamshafts,pistons and so on. Some things such as the thick-fange barrels areabit scarce and experienceinthe 60 years sincethe non-unit machine wasacurrent modelhaveproduced some modifcations which arereckoned to be agood idea forharduse.Biggest of these mods is themain bearing conversion from bush to needle rollers with an oil feed routed through the crankshaftend.Don’t forget the simple task of ensuring the wheels turneasily,there’s no friction on anyshafts or the brakes aregrabbing,all of which can sap powerand slowabike down.
than it would be,it’snot overlyhigh as this eng ine is built for reliability and long evity rather than ultimate power. With BSAs having asingle cam at the rear to operateboth inlet and exhaust cams there’snot as much potential to tweak the cam timing as with, say, aTriumph. Instead cam timing is altered by replacement cams ground to different settings; the one ftted hereisbyNewman Racing and it suits the rider’sneedsverywell.
Part of BSA’s redesignof its A10 sporting motor wastopay attention to the cylinder head used on the Super Rocket. Already in aluminiumalloyfor the Road Rocket, BSA alteredthe port design for the
Above: It isn’taneasy task to make anon-unit engine look this clean andtidy, there’sso many bits to tuck away
Left: BSAproduced severalversionsofits qd rear wheel. This onehappens to be from aB25 butisthe same basicunitwhich originated in thelate Forties.
Super Rocket as therehad been some inlet bias which could cause issues. This particular cylinder head has been further modifed by having been through Len Paterson’sCylinder HeadWorkshop and carried SRM’sWSperformance valves. The rest ofthe motor is pretty much BSA andhas been carefullyassembled so all parts work to their bestability.
Like its single cylinder stablemate,the A10 has a well put together gearboxand the Allen lads citethe diffculty of fnding adecent layshaft whichisthe key to sorting agood gearbox. Naturallytheywerea little cannyonwhatthe overall gearing theyused was, but the cluster itself is the standard road ratio
Obviouslybeing aseparateengine and gearbox rather than acomplete unit the twocomponents need to be joined. Mostnon-unit construction engines arejoined by achain case whichcouldbe aluminium or pressed steel as standard, though aftermarket accessories could be had in glass fbre or carbonfbrelaminates. Hereitisthe A10 polished alloycases being used. Inside the cases though theresits aBob Newbybelt drive kit instead of a steel clutchdrum with heavy steel plates and asteel sprocket. The onlyproblem with abeltdrive the Allens have experienced came when using aprimary coverrather than achain case.The coverhelped the
clutchrun cooler but alsoallowedsome grit to be caught by the belt, whichdid it no good at all. Once the primarydrive wasbetter protected then there’s been no grit ingress at all.
Traditionallynon-unit engines were mostly poweredbymagneto ignition units: self-contained, self-powered, turnthe engine over and aspark is produced. When magnetos work,theywork well; when theydon’twork,then they’reanightmare. Relatively recent developments have seen the creation of electronic magnetos whichfollowthe same self-contained principle as the originals but areultra-reliable. Built under the BTH name,these electronic magnetosare adirect replacement for the standardftment –the onlydifference is they powera tinyignition coil whichthen sends aspark to the plug (or plugs if it’satwin).
The job of giving this spark something to ignite is handled by amodernAmalMk1 Premier Concentric carburettor,a 1000 series andwith a32mm choke When Amal developed the Concentric over the Monoblocinthe Sixties the companywas pressed by manufacturersinto producing ‘…a two-quid carb whichwould last outthe warranty period…’ This didn’tsit well with Amalinthe Sixtiesnor with Burlen Fuel Systems, whichtook on Amal quite afew years ago. The company’supgradedPremier version is as good acarb as it gets andcertainlyway better than the Sixtiesoriginal.
Spea king with Ha ro ld Al len ab out the fne deta ils of the A1 0b uild, he sta ted he’sn ot ag re at fa no fs ta inless steel fastener s: “I ge th igh-ten sile eng ineering quality on es whichd on’ts tretch or strip their threa ds,”h es ay s. He ro unded off our ch at by sayi ng the A10 ha sb een re liabl e but he do esn’tn eg lect the ma intenan ce si de of prep arat io na nd if therea re anyi ssues th ey ’red ealt with straig htaway.
Above: Creating a good gearboxisn’t as easy as it used to be partsare becoming scarce.Notethe modernkick-star t welded to theoriginal boss
Mickyand Harold Allen race under the team name Yella Belly Raiders which comes from the Lincolnshirenicknameof Yellowbelly to describe people from the county.The actual origination of the nickname is disputed and thereare anumber of suggestions as to where it comes from but themost likely is the uniformofthe Lincolnshire Regimentatone time had ayellow belt or band around the wearer’s middle.Whatisn’t under dispute is MickyAllen’s successes in the AMCA Pre60 class and he fnished 2024aspre60 champion. He was also 2022 pre60 championbut didn’t race in 2023.
Note theclampsholding thet wo partstogether…
This is thefac tory picofthe Super Rocket andatthe risk of upset ting BSA A10owners, Iratherpreferthe Allens’ version.
Above: Controls are modernand Venhill’s sidepull throt tleis popularwithracers, as areDominolevers.
Left: Hmmm…I wonderwhat’bars are used
Flashback! ClassicCappra
It ’s nevereasyto impressArthurBrowning, butMontesa’s 250CappraVR managedthe feat
Words Tim Britton Media Ltd Pics Mor tons Archive
Requirements for adirt bike test: Adirtbike–pretty obvious, really; ahandyrider, twois better; fnally, somewhere to test it. Oh, and freezing weather… Seriously, all dirtbiketests aredone in atrocious weather. Want to end adrought or herald in freezing temperatures? Organise adirt bike shoot for apaper.
In March 1974, MotorCycle flledthese requirements when it conductedatest of Montesa’s latest CappraVR, whichwas to be raced in the coming season by Peter Mathia. While Peterdid taketothe track,impressions of the bike were to be givenbyMidlands all-rounder Arthur Browning and the place this would happen wasCuerden Park near Preston, Lancashire, wherea Siberian wind wasblowing in and making thingsfresh.
Above: Straight from thecrate anda stunning performeras well as agoodlooker, Montesa’s1974250 CappraVR
This test hadbeen arranged during the previous weekend’sWalsall motorcycle show, andthe 250 Capprahad taken pride of place on Montesa importer Jim Sandiford’s stand whereArthur Browning had straddled the saddle of aMontesa scrambler for the frst time.The bike literallyhad been taken from the stand to the Sandiford vanand hauled out at Cuerden without so much as apreliminary fre-up. As it was to be his race bike,itwas deemed polite to let Peter Mathia do the frst fewlaps to settle the engine in and then checkoverthe bike beforeArthurtook over the handlebars.
One of the changes for1974 wasthe front engine mount having bolted-on plates rather than awelded lug and, as such, hadthree bolts… as aclonking
