ION HERE, THERE, EVERYWHERE FOR CLASSIC DIRT BIKE ACTION
ISSUE Fiif ty Thre
Dirtbike bike CLASSIC
Winter 2
e 019
#53
FLYERS AT
FARLEIGH Vets MXdN storms the castle
Mi ht Matchless M t hl Mighty
Thundering Earthmover
PLUS
K l KTM Kool
Katalogue Korrect
C d training t i i Commando
Miller’s ‘might have been’
PENTON – THE HISTORY AJS STORMER TEDESCO HONDA
N53 2019 US$15.99 Aus$14.99 NZ$18.99 UK£5.50
PRINTED IN THE UK
IN BALANCE
Listmania Do you live by, or abhor, lists?
L
ike it or not, lists are a part of life. They can take many forms, as indeed do their contents. Some lists will be aimed at domestic life and remind us to pick up bread, milk, quails' eggs, aspic jelly or whatever your dietary needs or likes dictate. Other lists may be aimed at organising your daily routine – this magazine for instance has its own list, though it’s termed a ‘flat plan’, showing what goes in each issue and on which page. There are three projects on the go in this magazine, and I’m personally involved in two of them. One has never been a complete motorcycle, the other was but has loads missing and alongside these I’ve got my own selection of motorcycles which, being old, need attention. Writing this column the night before heading to the Carole Nash Classic Motorcycle Mechanics Show at Stafford Showground at the end of October, my attention turns to the list of things I’m hoping to find in either the autojumble or on trade stands, for the aforementioned projects. Lists for Stafford have long been part of my life, both professional after I started working on magazines, and, as a typical enthusiast. I used to make the trip to Stafford twice a year, usually with my uncle, and these occasions were pleasant as during the drive down he would inspect my typed out list of things I was looking for – one year this list ran to several pages of
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❝The rise and almost universal
acceptance of electronic devices such as iPads and smartphones have dragged list-making up a notch.❞ A4 and I think I hauled a few washers and maybe a bolt or two back north. It is fair to say the recording of these lists has altered since I started compiling them, often a list would be scribbled on whatever was available where the work was happening. Initially, my autojumble lists would be handwritten on a scrap of paper but eventually they became typed out. As a joiner, I’d send cutting lists from sites with the requirements on a convenient bit of wood or an old screw box – never on the back of a fag packet though because I’ve never smoked. There are other ways of creating lists and I have seen a request for 50 bricks scratched into the face of a brick… maybe an extreme example but it worked. I did work with a lad who could simply remember what he wanted, accurately too, his claim being anyone could remember anything. Maybe he was right and if a certain task is repeated on a regular basis there is little need to create a list, as you know what’s needed. An example is when I changed the crank seals on my Bulto – it’s a task I’ve done a lot so what was needed was familiar to me and I didn’t need to write down 'seals, ‘O’ rings to the seal holders and two new gaskets'. At the other end of the phone though the lad taking my order did write it down and when the parts arrived there was a list… The rise and almost universal acceptance of electronic devices such as iPads and
smartphones have dragged list-making up a notch and here lists can even contain photographs. No longer is it necessary to attempt to describe the part you’re looking for as an image of it can be shown. Of course, such ease depends on the operator being able to work the blasted device in the first place. Ah, the old days when one could sympathise with the poor stallholder trying to decipher “… it’s the bit that goes behind the other bit that was changed in 1953 but only on the South Atlantic model… which I’ve got but I need the other bit on the other side…” and similar such conversations. Now all stall holders need to be IT experts… or maybe that’s why there are now a lot more younger people at classic shows… they’re there not to view the machines on offer but to operate the electronic devices with lists on them. I too will be looking for an IT expert – a Yamaha IT expert – or at least a stallholder with IT bits on, as I created a list the other day…
WINTER 2019 | 3
Regulars 03 In Balance
So there you are, all happy and contented, then up pops the In Balance column to rev you up and make you think…
06 News, views and reviews
Not easy doing news in a quarterly magazine, but we try our best.
16
You need…
… a bike with the patina of age and use.
18 …you also need…
… a bike which displays the talents of the builder.
22 Super Profile
Is this the best 125 Pursang in the world? Maybe… there’s certainly a lot of attention to detail.
41
Subscribe! Subscribe! Subscribe!
As CDB is subscription only in the UK you’ve either subscribed, nicked a mate’s copy or seen us at a show. If it’s one of the latter two, subscribe here...
76
52 Dicko’s view
What does the elder statesman of offroad journalism have to say this issue? Head to page 52 and see.
61 'cross words
Take action to save the sport from those who don’t understand it, says our man… do you agree?
72
Dirt Talk
Letters, opinions, 'you’re doing it wrong…', 'you’re doing it right…' all come in to CDB’s office by post, electronic communications or even the telephone.
82 Moto memories
At the start of the Eighties the UK was pretty well served for world champions.
On the cover: Nick Haskell caught the moment Yamaha racer John Adamson wound the power on in the 500 Evo class at Farleigh during the Vets MXdN.
4 | Contents
66
11
Features 11
The Famous James
All sorts of riders used a James Commando – we look at a standard version while Sammy Miller tells us what it should have been like.
27 From the archive
Penton or KTM? The difference is not an exact science, but Norm DeWitt got to the bottom of it all.
36 Tedesco’s Red Rocket
The American riders visiting Farleigh Vets need bikes to ride. Stevie Denton’s CR250 has been used by lots of them – this year Ivan Tedesco was behind the 'bars.
54 Kracking KTM
Amid the modern machinery at Stafford was this absolutely spot-on 1987 350 MX. We collared the owner before he could get away from us.
66 Mighty Matchless
In the days of big bikes and the men who raced them, ‘Matchless’ and ‘Curtis’ were pretty much synonymous terms.
76
Brewing a Stormer
AJS fell victim to the collapse of the British industry but managed to produce some great bikes – and the name carried on too.
Events 58 International Dirt Bike Show
CDB at a modern show? Yes, and there were things of interest for us classic enthusiasts too.
36
62 Vets MXdN
Nick Haskell was at the Castle… Farleigh Castle for the Vets.
Technical 44 Rebuilding to ride
With a classic, a twinshock and an Evo to sort there’s enough diversity for most people in our spanner-twirling section.
50
44
Dirt Products
Got something that's of interest to the dirt bike world? Let us know and we’ll tell everyone else…
WINTER 2019 | 5
DIRTNEWS Ho ho ho... it's beginning to look a lot like... Telford Incredibly as this is written there are only 12 short weeks to go until the 2020 Classic Dirt Bike Show. Okay so there’s a thing called Christmas in the way, but for us in the dirt bike world the show at the Telford International Centre on February 15-16 (and which is again backed by Hagon Shocks) actually IS Christmas... and the similarities are clear. For instance, ties and socks as presents are entrenched in Christmas folklore, while at Telford there will be ties – cable ties – and socks too… race socks for wearing under trials, enduro or MX boots – so ties and socks will be on the trade stands. There will be lots more there too and as most MXers are in down time and doing the rebuild thing, it's likely the bits and pieces you need for your bike as a final prep before the season could be picked up on the trade stands. Trials riders are full on in the winter but perhaps you’ve entered the pre65 Scottish and are looking for a few tuning
bits, or maybe the idea of enduro-ing is appealing and maybe a race-ready bike is your goal? A quick glance through the list of those traders already signed up tells us the trade halls will be packed with tasty bits and pieces. Naturally as more people confirm the list will grow. The show is many things to many people. We’ve already touched on the bits available but there are the displays of restored bikes in the private entries to inspire us into action on the last stages of our own projects. You know those dark days when all the big work is done and the last little knockings of the fiddly
bits need to be sorted. This is when the help and encouragement of those who’ve been there are really needed and just talking to other souls who’ve been through it and out the other side can help keep you on track or get you to the track. In part this is a major element of the gathering where like-minded souls can meet to discuss rebuild problems, or forgotten improvements – how many times have you overheard one enthusiast say to another “you want another half inch in the front pipe then a bigger main jet, makes the world of difference…” or something along those lines. ■ For more on Telford, see pages 8 and 10.
Tickets:
For further details about the Classic Dirt Bike Show sponsored by Hagon Shocks, and to order your advance tickets, please visit www.classicbikeshows.com
The Hagon Stage area will be the scene of many presentations – this is the Kia Series one.
6 | Dirt news
Doing it for Dom As well as running a superb series of trials for classic, twinshock and aircooled monos, the Kia organisers have been raising money for the Teenage Cancer Trust in memory of Dominic Feaks who sadly lost his battle with the disease. In our last issue we had a tantalising glimpse of the charity calendar photoshoot involving the wives and partners of riders that participate in the championship. Well, the calendar is now produced
All in a good cause, get your calendar from Karoline the Kia Kalendar Ko-ordinator, or at Telford show.
and is for sale – cost £10 – at the remaining Kia Championship Rounds. The calendar can also be purchased by emailing to cemfleckney@gmail.com though postage of £2.50 will
need to be added. Finally, there will be a stock of the calendars to buy at both the Kia and Rockshocks stands at The Classic Dirt Bike Show in Telford to be held on February 15-16. All proceeds from the sale of
the calendar will be going to The Teenage Cancer Trust. We understand the shoot was interesting with much hilarity and some strange poses… we’re advised April is a month to look out for…
Toughsheet backing the twins Dougie Mercer’s Toughsheet Building Supplies is continuing as headline sponsor of the 2020 National Twinshock MX Championships. The series will consist of seven rounds, and registration is now open, with all the forms needed on the National Twinshock website. There are classes for all Twinshocks, Evos, Super Evos and Vets on Modern bikes. The Festival of Legends could return to Hawkstone in August, but this will be confirmed once the British MX Championship releases its events. For info email geoff. shuttleworth121@outlook.com or call 07816 283252.
Twinshock dates
The new Wulfsport National Twinshock champion Jimmy Margetson. Andrew Fairclough Photography.
The provisional dates, which still have to be ratified with the venues and clubs, are as follows: April 5: Cumbria Twinshock Polesworth, Staffs May 3: Cumbria Twinshock The Grange, Tern Hill, Shropshire May 24: Nottingham Twinshock Bevercotes, Notts June 13/14: Cumbria Twinshock Pontrilas, Hereford July 19: Lancashire Twinshock Astbury, Cheshire August 30/31: Cumbria Twinshock Hawkstone Park Festival of Legends, September 19/20: Cumbria Twinshock Culham Moto Park, Oxon
Elsinore GP Remember the Elsinore GP featured in the classic movie On Any Sunday? Lots of dirt bikes racing through the town, to the delight of the population, before heading out into the hills. Some racers took it seriously most didn’t and legends such as Malcolm Smith managed to combine both attributes, then there was Harvey Mushman… who? Hollywood actor Steve McQueen is who. He rode under a pseudonym so the movie studios wouldn’t spot what he did on a weekend. Seems the Elsinore GP still happens and is a four day
An MX starting in the town centre? Can only be the Elsinore GP.
festival in, on and around town in California. It’s about to happen as we write, will be happening when we go to press – November 8 – and will have happened when this
magazine comes out. The event plays heavily on our era of bikes, has lots of fun stuff alongside thre serious racing too, there’s the big race day with 700 riders
and then there’s the Harvey Mushman race too. Not too much space here for a full report but go to www.dirtseriesracing.com and check out the event.
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Top guests getting set to entertain at the CDB show 2020 As revealed in issue 52, there are two fabulous guests from the world of off-road motorcycling at the Hagonbacked CDB Show 2020. From the feet-up world there is 1979 world trials champion Bernie Schreiber. The Californian burst on the scene in the Seventies and was at the forefront of a new style of riding and ushered in the new guard of young guns. When we interviewed Bernie for CDB in issue 47 he told us: “I never set out to change the sport but was focused on finding new ways to ride in the rules of the time…” That he did just that is irrefutable and his reward was a world championship for Bultaco. Though forever associated with Bultaco and SWM, his skills were displayed on many other makes too. For the scrambles scene 1970 British MX champion Bryan ‘Badger’ Goss will no doubt attract many followers who remember his tenacious racing. From his early successes on Cotton Goss
he was snapped up by Essex manufacturer Greeves... then by 1970 he was Husqvarna mounted and it was on this make he gained his championship in the 500cc class in 1970. Though his championship came at the end of his competitive career Goss left no one in any doubt he was a worthy winner by dominating the series with twice as many points as the next rider. Not content with that Goss went on to bring German Maico MXers to the top of the UK scene. Both Goss and Schreiber will be interviewed on stage as Jack Burnicle teases all sorts of juicy tales from the two stars. In addition Schreiber and Goss will be guests at the Saturday evening dinner which has become a major part of the show weekend. For dinner tickets – a snip at £33 per head for a fabulous three course meal – contact our team on 01507 529529 or visit www.classicbikeshows. com
Bernie Schreiber is to be guest at Telford...
...along with ex-British MX champion Bryan 'Badger' Goss.
Russell’s a worthy show winner
Rare dirt tracker tops speedway sale A 1929 James V twin dirt track bike, one of only 12 built and most likely the only survivor, made £37,000 at a sale of the collection of the late Noel Clark conducted on August 17 by H J Pugh & Co of Ledbury, Herefordshire. The sale of the collection drew large numbers of enthusiasts who bid on all items. A framed selection of 28 speedway programmes made £340, a replica Martin rolling chassis £1850. Engines proved popular with ohv JAP versions making up to £4000 and a JAP twin OHC display engine considerably more at £6000. Some 34 speedway and grass track bikes came up for sale with the shale shifters outselling the grass trackers. An ESO S45 made £4800, a rare Rotrax with JAP twin OHC engine selling for £12200 and a 1931 Rudge JAP in restored condition a little more at £12500.
8 | Dirt news
Our little corner of the Carole Nash Classic Motorcycle Mechanics Show had some fabulous machines from all disciplines of off-road sport and luckily the CDB editor didn’t have to choose any of the class winners for the concours competition. Thankfully the task of finding the winners from all of the superb machines was down to someone else. Man with the happy grin is Russell Williams whose 1967 ESO represents the final version prior to them becoming Jawa. A four month restoration for speedway fan Russell required him to make many components himself, luckily the man is a master at metalworking. ■ Best Competition Machine 1967 ESO DT500 – Russell Williams
■ Best Scrambler Machine 1970 AJS Stormer – Graham Nock ■ Best Trials Machine 1973 Bultaco Sherpa 92 – Austin Hardwick ■ Best Enduro/Trail Machine 1975 Kawasaki KT250 A2 – Mark Barge
Yes, it's August and a scramble in the UK... looks like the old TV scrambles in the Sixties.
Classic Championship finale a mud plug... now ideas needed for 2020 Organisers have praised the efforts of all the riders in this year's AMCA/CDB British Classic Motorcross Championship, calling it a real 'mud plug'. Co-ordinator Dave Gittins said: “The series was long, involved a good few miles on the road up and down the country and the final round… a real mud plug.” He especialy thanked all the clubs involved – Bath, Acorns (Stafford), Northampton, Westmorland, Moseley (Birmingham) and Llanthony (Gwent). This coming year will be the 25th anniversary of the championship. The first round was held at Ameys Copse, Bennetts Hill, Burghfield, courtesy of Mortimer Classic and the club has agreed to host a round again. Dave said: “The format has changed
over the years and I welcome suggestions for next year’s series. Please contact me at davidgittins650@gmail.com or bring your ideas to the Classic AGM in November.” Suggestions so far include: 1 It remain the same - three classes racing together (two eight-lap championship races per programme) the riders selected by Dave based on previous performances. 2 Everybody in the three classes be included and individuals opt in or out. A downside of that is it may mean six championship races per meeting which would be very time consuming, and not fair to those who opt out. 3 A series based on age –for example age ranges, types/age of bikes etc, rather like the ECMO arrangement.
The final positions in each of the three classes look like this: Pre-65 (1) Gene Womack 185 points (2) Robert Twigg 146 (best Pre-60) (3) Tim Austen 131 (4) Will Bateup 114 (5) Lee Kelly 40 (6)= James Thompson 37 Ricky Pedder 37 Pre-68 (1) Greg Speed (2) Mitchell Harris (3) George Gorvett (4) Luke Womack (5) Chris Collins (6) John Cash
186 150 124 122 103 77
Pre-74 (1) Kris Winder (2) Keith Rice (3) Andy Hinchcliffe (4) Nathan Jones (5) John Fleming (6) Gary Warr
186 183 128 111 100 71
Entry time for Pre65 Scottish The entry form for the 2020 Pre’65 Scottish Trial is now available to download from www.pre65scottish.com ... and this time anyone in the world can enter! Organisers ask that potential entrants please read the guidelines that accompany the entry form carefully. Email, incomplete or late entries will NOT be accepted. If you are unable to download, please send a self-addressed A4 envelope (large letter stamp) to Anne Gordon, Secretary Pre’65 Scottish Trial, Fairshiels, Blackshiels, Pathhead, Midlothian, EH37 5SX to have
an entry form sent out to you. The big news this year is, for the first time, entries will not be restricted to European residency but will be open to entrants worldwide. Following the retirement of Doreen Stratford from the post of observer Co-ordinator, the team is delighted to announce that her successor will be Sally Burton. They are sure that regular observers, new volunteers and all involved in the event will give her support in her new role. Right: Stephen Robson on Pipeline in 2019.
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What’s in store at Telford With three packed halls of traders, autojumble and displays there is plenty to see at February's Hagon-backed Classic Dirt Bike Show 2020. A real highlight is the regular outdoor autojumble for those brave stall holders who eschew the comforts of indoors, and there are always some really good machines and projects outside. Not that the displays indoors are any less tasty and there are loads of things happening on the stage besides the interviews with special guests, with presentations of trophies for the Kia series and the Classic British Scrambles Championship to name but two. There are displays of all sorts, including a special line-up of bikes representing the makes trials legend Bernie Schreiber has been associated with through his career. Alan Wright has arranged a Montesa display with some early Cappra MXers from the Sixties, while representing the English will be an Ariel display with two original HT trials models, an HS scrambler and a VCH. Elsewhere will be a special display of Sprite machines. Sprite motorcycles was the brainchild of Frank Hipkin and the marque soon dominated the scene with many top names gaining success. The Sprite display is to be arranged by Frank's son Stephen who, along with brother Paul keeps interest in their father’s marque alive in the cyber world. Stephen tells us they hope to have a massive display of all sorts of Sprite models and if you have one and fancy displaying it then contact Stephen on ste2hip@gmail.com
Bob Mottley is presented with his Best in Show trophy at Telford by legendary trials rider Sammy Miller.
Did you buy one from the autojumble at Telford?
Tales from those who were ‘there’ in whatever scene are always fascinating and there is no tale more intriguing than that of top 10 MX GP racer Rob Andrews. Tenacious more than talented (his words) Rob raced in the Eighties and by sheer
determination was a regular on the GP scene. His book The Inside Line is to be launched at Telford in 2020. We’ve seen the pre-production version and it is an inspiration to every racer and proof that dreams do come true.
Rob Edwards Tribute The trials world has been mourning Rob Edwards, who died in October. The smiling Teesider is forever associated with Montesa but rode for AJS and Cotton too. There is to be a tribute to Rob, on Saturday only, at the Classic Dirt Bike Show with Alan Lampkin and Dave Thorpe who travelled with Rob in the glory era of the Seventies when works riders from three different factories would cram in one Transit van and head for world trials rounds. This tribute is to be on stage in the main hall with the time to be yet confirmed. Kris Winder, battling the conditions in the Westmorland club scramble in August. He'll be taking on the Europeans in 2020.
In to Europe… No, not a comment on the Brexit chaos dominating the UK at the moment but a reference to the ECMO classic MX series held in various European countries. Chris Lewis, of Elsinore 74, called up and said he, along with his sponsored rider Kris Winder, is mounting an attack on the ECMO championship in 2020. Says Chris: “Kris has won the 250 class of the classic scrambles championship three years in a row so our thoughts turned to the European championship.” Details have yet to be cut and dried but hopefully we’ll have more information for our Telford issue.
10 | Dirt news
Rob Edwards, in action on his Montesa in the SSDT in the last year before helmets were compulsory.
The famous James Though the ‘famous’ tag is from an earlier period, James did add to it by being the first lightweight manufacturer to win a trade national trial outright. Words and pics: Tim Britton
I
n one respect it is a shame Bill Lomas’ win in the 1951 Travers Trophy Trial continues to be trotted out by the likes of us journalists, as it suggests James did nothing else after it. This, of course, is far from the truth as the Greet-based maker has a long and proud competition career and though Lomas’ win is noteworthy, James had success before and after it. What that win did was provide James with the basis for the best rigid lightweight trials bike of the time, even if it was mostly ‘Lomas’ rather than ‘James’ who did the building. James did produce a replica, or as close a replica as they could, of the Lomas machine, minus of course the personal tuning Bill had done to the Villiers 197cc engine unit. In his book ‘Bill Lomas – world champion road racer’, Bill details some of the work which he did to create his national-winning motorcycle and was full of praise for the free hand given by James for his work. The rigid machine enjoyed considerable sales success but once the world had realised rear suspension wasn’t such a hindrance to the feet-up scene as it had been thought, almost overnight the rigid was out.
Above: A nice example of what was a typical Fifties trials James, one can see why Miller wanted to improve things though.
James did have a roadster with a swinging arm frame and offered this in trials form – to order at first, then it became a production model. History ry y records the frame as being too weak and while suitable for the road it needed a strengthening brace for trials or it would bend in the middle if dropped in an event. Still, the factory ry y had to go with a swinging arm and the factory ry y riders would have to persevere with it and be seen to be winning or competing on the production machine. Meanwhile, one young James rider in Northern Ireland was making a name for himself, not only in the trials world, but road racing too and had engineering talent to develop what seemed, to him, obvious solutions to trials bike design. The name Sammy Miller was becoming known outside the province as someone to watch, though by his own admission he was still in awe of the works machines. He was entered in his local national, the Hurst’s Cup, on a swinging arm Commando not dissimilar to the one on these pages, and as the photos were being taken Sammy related the tale. WINTER 2019 |
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Above: Let’s lower the footrests on a massive underslung fabrication… these were the first things taken off the Miller bike and resurfaced 60 years later. Left: It is quite narrow but the silencer sticks out, not as far as some did though. Below: Would it have been that expensive for the factory to create a new, all-welded frame which looked less bitty?
12 | WINTER 2019
Having reworked his own machine into something more fitting for a trials bike, Sammy was well aware he lacked the resources of a major factory and its pool of knowledge, so was keen to see the full factory bikes for some more ideas. “I knew the works team, including Bryan Povey, would be over for the Hurst’s Cup so I took a notepad and pencil along to jot down what they’d done, so I could use the information. I really shouldn’t have bothered, as while I was examining their machines and being a bit disappointed in what I saw, they were all over my machine to see what I’d done!” Much later, when Sammy was entrenched in the Midlands industry, Povey let on that the factory had instructed them to check this Irishman’s machine out. “I was a becoming less in awe of the factory machines, it was inconceivable to me why they wouldn’t let riders make their machines better, then offer the result for sale.” Miller shrugs his shoulder as he’s saying this and it’s clear more than 60 years on it still puzzles him.
As we looked over the freshly restored machine I asked Sammy how it came to be in the museum. “We were given it about 20 years ago and it’s been in storage since, waiting for us to have the time to restore it.” He continues by saying it is almost exactly the same as the one he had in that period before going to Ariel. There is an even closer connection to this particular James too: “One of the earliest modifications I made to mine in the Fifties was to haul off the original footrests. I mean, look at them, they hang down and can easily be caught on rocks or roots. I made up new ones which moved the position further back, and pushed the originals in a drawer in my workshop at home in Belfast.” They were forgotten about until this restoration needed original footrests. “I still had them, as well as the tool kit that came with the bike and the special tools from those days.” Footrests apart, the James was in quite a reasonable condition. “It’s obviously spent most of its time in the Southern centre and been used in muddy events, if it had been from up your way it would have had a much harder life,” said Sammy. It seems the bike was pretty much complete too, which in any restoration is a bonus not to be taken for granted. Even in 2019 engine parts for Villiers units are not too rare but cycle parts are much harder to find, even for the much more common road models, let alone the rarer low volume competition model. “Not having to find them is a welcome relief, so imagine the feeling when the toolbox lid vanished. It is always better to find a sample of the original colour on a part and use this for colour matching, that way you know the colour is correct,” says Sammy. “Inside the lid, protected from the ravages of time, the colour was quite good, so off it went and that was the last time we
Above: How good at tube bending are you?
Above right, top: A Dunlop rubber saddle is a thing of beauty and comfort.
Above right: Part of the extras offered with a bike was a tyre inflator.
Above left: The 8E engine was still in favour at James, had they bought a load and needed to use them up or were they offered a good deal? Discuss.
Below: It is a matter of pride for Sammy that pretty much all the machines in his museum work.
saw it. I made one to replace it but if anyone out there has an original, get in touch please.” Once back at the Bashley museum complex the frame was treated to new bearings in the steering head and bushes in the swinging arm, while the spindles, fasteners and other little plated parts were away being attended to. Once these were back, the frame could be assembled. Rear damping was relatively new to the scene on most trials motorcycles in the mid-Fifties – though Royal Enfield had been using such a system for almost 10 years – it still wasn’t fully understood by most people. The dampers on the rear of this trials bike look like they were made by James themselves and unlike the sealed for life Girlings, these ones can have their oil changed – look closely and see the drain plug at the bottom of the unit. They were also painted and serviced and refitted. It is interesting to note the later model on from this one has Girlings fitted as standard. Up at the front though it was a different story as the forks were pretty well worn out and required rebushing, new springs and seals fitting then assembling into the frame, which isn’t as easy as it could be. Once this stage was reached, the wheels could be added and things start looking like a motorcycle again. The wheels themselves were fairly straightforward with the small diameter hubs, which the brochure of the day claims 6in for the front and 5in at the rear, being blasted, painted and fitted with new bearings. The same went for the brake plates which are pressed steel, though it was the pivot points which were attended to rather than bearings – once these were made true again, new shoes went in and the hubs could be built into new rims. “We always take a measure of the off-set before stripping the wheels,” says Sammy, “and send the measurement to the wheel builder. In most cases the measurement isn’t needed as the information is already at the wheel builder but it doesn’t hurt to have it in case something unusual is going on.” He added the spokes on this project had to be cut out: “There’s no point in trying to save them as they’re fairly typical of the period.” Wheel rims on trials bikes of this period were 2.75in x 21in on the front, a size still in use today, though the metric measurement is used now; however the rear rim and tyre size was 4.00in x 19in. At this point I committed the cardinal sin of journalism and assumed something, rather than checking. With 19in trials tyres being phased out in the Sixties, I assumed Sammy had had the rear wheel built with an 18in rim and it wasn’t until viewing the photos later I could see the rear had a Dunlop Trials Universal 4.00 x 19in rear tyre. No matter how I looked at it, it still remained the same size. Surely this couldn’t have been left over from the Fifties? No option but speak to the man… WINTER 2019 |
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“Hmm yes, it’s a 19in one, probably the last one we have now.” How come it survived for 60 years? “It hasn’t, it’s not all that old, about 20 years ago Mike Jackson commissioned a batch of them, I think a batch of 100, though might be 200, we took a few and others were sold on.” This is the sort of dedication to accuracy which marks some restorations out above others. I was left wondering how difficult it is to commission a batch of tyres and remembered when we did a feature on Ferry Brouwer’s re-creation of a Mick Andrews works Yamaha and he’d had the correct type of tyre remade by a tyre maker in Germany… Like a lot of trials manufacturers in that period, James relied on a Villiers engine – in this case the 8E which even then raised an eyebrow as the slightly better 9E was available. The engine code on Villiers is only confusing if you want it to be and the ‘8’ and ‘9’ designation refers to the 197cc engines – understand we’re condensing this a lot – the 8E had a bolted on Albion gearbox and a spun aluminium flywheel case while the 9E was redesigned to have a cast flywheel case, better gears and be semi-unit construction. If you want a bit more than this seek out a copy of Don Morley’s Classic British Two Stroke Trials Bikes with a whole chapter on the Villiers trials engines… for even more information go to Roy Bacon’s Villiers book. Okay, the engine, it’s a two-stroke, of 197cc with four gears. The gears were okay, as were the castings for the engine and gearbox, barrel and head. Inside though the big and little ends of the crank have been replaced, plus all bearings and a plus 20 piston now sits in the cast iron barrel. Inside the primary case a new chain connects the engine and clutch drum and the clutch plates are new. “It’s not a great problem to get these bits as Villiers Services have them in stock.” Once the engine unit was lifted carefully in to the frame with lots of protection on the paintwork, it was quickly bolted in place. Carburettor was next and this model has a Villiers one rather than the next season’s Amal. “A Villiers carb is quite a good instrument,” says Sammy, citing Peter Gaunt’s belief in using one on most bikes he built. At this stage the team at the museum made the cables up for the bike, fitted them to the appropriate places and slipped the tank and the Dunlop rubber saddle in place. It is worth mentioning the saddle – Dunlop made this for the competition market realising the wet and the mud of the day wouldn’t do leather ones all that much good. In creating a seat for one area they also created a legend as many owners would retrofit it to their own non-competition bikes. There were some replicas or reproduction ones made some years ago… Final piece to go on was the exhaust system and finishes off the bike, it has an admittedly tortuous route in going under the engine and out on the off-
14 | WINTER 2019
Right: Lots of polish and the few chrome bits on the engine can be seen here.
SAMMY MILLER MUSEUM
Left: A newer, more rounded tank was on offer for this season. Far left: Sammy may be in his 80s but he can still ride.
Above: A shame about the section flag as it covers much of the detail Sammy talks about.
In the picturesque New Forest area of Hampshire, Belfast man Sammy Miller has made his home and as well as his business activities it is also the home of his collection of classic motorcycles. Naturally the trials world features highly but not exclusively in the halls as there are road racing, scrambling and ISDT machinery too, plus some really tasty vintage and veteran road bikes as well. There is an excellent website www.sammymiller.co.uk with opening times detailed – there are both summer and winter opening times. The museum address is: Sammy Miller Museum Bashley Cross Roads, New Milton Hampshire, BH25 5SZ Telephone 01425 620777 side of the machine and is low slung rather than high level but that’s the way it was then. A reason, rather than ‘the’ reason, may well be because in those days manufacturers still liked the public to think their trials bikes were similar to their road bikes and the road bikes had down-swept pipes.
The world according to Miller
Sammy’s reworking of almost any motorcycle he’s been involved with is almost legendary in the motorcycle world. From his earliest SHS – also on display in the museum – to the Hondas he was involved with in the Seventies there is a need to make them the best they could be. “I did appreciate a factory couldn’t always produce a super special machine for sale and had to keep an eye on production costs but it sometimes seemed some makers were determined to sling any old thing out.” The James he rode in the season prior to going to Ariel very quickly benefited from his single-minded determination to make a better machine from the base model. Footrests were the first things to move, a much simpler arrangement was fabricated and an improved riding position was the result. “Next on the list was the suspension at either end,” says Sammy, “things such as spring rates and oil viscosity weren’t fully appreciated and there was a lot of experimentation with springs on the rear and in the forks.” He goes on to say there wasn’t too much he could do about the rear units and can’t recall if his bike in the Fifties had the James units or Girlings and the pictures are unclear at that point. The front end, however, was a different matter: “I tried to get as much Norton inside the forks as I could, at the time
Above: Inside the engine all bearings were replaced and a new piston fitted to a rebored barrel.
Below: If only someone in the British industry had given Miller a clean sheet of paper perhaps the Bultaco era would have been the ‘James Era.’
Above left: The replacement toolbox cap is clear here, as is the strengthening strip on the frame, “I think I removed mine,” says the man.
Below: Looking good now but there has been a lot of work to the forks.
they were much the superior suspension.” He adds when he was at Ariel he could get his stanchions hard chrome plated to give a much closer tolerance than the ordinary steel ones. “Sometimes production stanchions had ridges in them!” he exclaims, “how could they possibly work properly?” It was obvious to Sammy then that suspension set up for an average rider could be improved and that is what he did. “You could see riders at a trial whose suspension would hardly move, they might as well have been on rigids… at either end.” Did Miller’s work on the James provide results? Oh yes, to the point where it was noteworthy when he didn’t win. In one championship year he had a 100% win record. WINTER 2019 |
15
YOU NEED…
A DESERT RACER IN YOUR SHED Move those bikes around in your shed and make room for our next suggestion… Words and Pics: Tim Britton
A Mikuni carb is a more modern fitting and has a choke rather than a tickler. Did you know Mikuni made Amal carburettors under licence in the early days?
An air cleaner is essential in dry, dusty conditions as grit jamming a throttle open makes life exciting, even on a big old scrambler.
Steel petrol – or maybe ‘gas’ – tank shows signs of ageing and wear. It would be a shame to destroy the patina of age.
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