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February 2020 £2.20 ISSUE

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Here’s mud in your eye! The epitome of scrambling in the Fifties, as what looks like Bill Barugh (thanks to the distinctive helmet design) fights through a sandy section of Shrubland Park, Suffolk.

• To find this and thousands more images visit: Mortons Archive www.mortonsarchive.com

2 NEWS

February 2020

Editorial

www.oldbikemart.co.uk email: info@oldbikemart.co.uk Editor Dave Manning OBMEditor@mortons.co.uk Designer Tracey Markham Production editors Pauline Hawkins, Sarah Spencer Group advertising manager Sue Keily Divisional advertising manager Billy Manning Trade Advertising Team Leader (Classic Division) Leon Currie lcurrie@mortons.co.uk | 01507 529465 Trade Advertising Ricky Nichols rnichols@mortons.co.uk | 01507 529467 For Private Enquiries please visit

www.oldbikemart.co.uk

Marketing manager Charlotte Park Circulation manager Steve O’Hara Publisher Tim Hartley Publishing director Dan Savage Commercial director Nigel Hole General queries Customer Service number: 01507 529529 Telephone lines are open: Monday-Friday 8.30am-5pm and 24hr answerphone Archive enquiries Jane Skayman jskayman@mortons.co.uk 01507 529423 Founder Ken Hallworth OLD BIKE MART (ISSN:1756-9494) is published monthly by Mortons Media Group Ltd, PO Box 99, Horncastle, Lincolnshire LN9 6LZ UK. USA subscriptions are $48 per year from Motorsport Publications LLC, 7164 City Rd N #441, Bancroft WI 54921.

Periodical Postage is paid at Bancroft, WI and additional entries. Postmaster: Send address changes to OLD BIKE MART, c/o Motorsport Publications LLC, 7164 City Rd N #441, Bancroft WI 54921.

715-572-4595 chris@classicbikebooks.com PUBLISHED BY

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W

hile much of my working time is spent steering the desk at the hub of the good ship OBM, I also spend a fair amount of my working week travelling around the country, going to shows, to see bike owners, advertisers and the like. While some of this travelling is of the righteous variety – aboard two wheels – quite a lot is in a car or, more commonly, a van, and these miles are invariably spent trying to find some interesting company from the radio, sometimes with some success, and sometimes not.

While I find myself often listening to Radio 4 (particularly for the comedy) or Radio 2, there’s a time when I invariably turn the radio off simply because I find the presenter in question is doing little more than ‘stirring’ with his reportage, with one particular presenter being the worst culprit.

I’ll not name-drop, but will refer to him as ‘Mr Whine’, simply because that is what he mostly seems to do during his broadcasts, but there was one day recently that his subject of choice caught my attention, as it concerned vehicle emissions and the London congestion zone situation.

As you’ll know, the capital’s Low Emission Zone, and the charging thereof, has been mentioned in my editorial rambling previously, and I have shown some concern that Transport for London has deemed it necessary to include many motorcycles as part of the charging scheme. Okay, you can argue that the newest bikes – those that comply with the Euro 2 regulations of 2007 and later – and those of ‘historic status’ (i.e. 40 years old or more) aren’t included, but I still have concerns for the future. As Steve Cooper has alluded to in his column on page 14, we need to be aware of how the authorities are keeping an eye on us and how they may treat us, and our vehicles, in the future.

Now, the aforementioned discussion that I heard on the radio focused on ‘London throat’, an apparent issue whereby folk living in what was once termed as ‘The Smoke’ are having a condition in which they get throat infections thanks to heavy particulates in the air, that aren’t caused by internal combustion engines, but by another by-product of motorised transport – brake dust.

Any of us who have worked on any type of braking system will know that there is a significant amount of detritus that comes from braking materials,

whether they be shoe or pad, and we also know that it’s probably not very nice stuff. We’ve all heard of the warnings about blowing out brake linings and calipers with an airline, right? But the discussion wasn’t about the maintenance or overhauling of braking systems, but about the emissions caused when driving through built-up areas, when braking for traffic calming measures etc., and the effect on the local community, pedestrians and cyclists. My initial thought was that it can’t really be avoided, although I did start to wonder if this is being brought to our attention as it’s a chance for further taxes to be levied on motorists? And can the issue be resolved? Maybe by making the braking system contained, such as in a drum brake…

Now this could be a valuable piece of pro-classic propaganda. Not only do most of our classic bikes have ‘pedestrian-safe contained braking systems’ (i.e., drum brakes) but they don’t have the environmental debt of a modern vehicle. Again, I refer to the honourable Mr Cooper’s comments on the fact that a brand new, average family petrolengined car delivers 17 tonnes of carbon dioxide before it even turns a wheel, and that electrically powered cars are even worse!

I’ve mentioned before that the likes of the Motorcycle Action Group, the Vintage Motorcycle Club and the Federation of British Historic Vehicle Clubs are all making moves to ensure the future of not just historic and classic vehicles, but of motorcycles as a whole, but we all have to pull our own weight in the battle against unfair legislation.

It only takes a few minutes to write a letter or email to your MP or local councillor – or, for that matter, the likes of the Department for Transport or Transport for London – to remind them of the facts that classic motorcycles are not only an efficient, traffic-busting way in which to travel, but also that they won’t spread brake detritus around like a modern disc-braked vehicle, and don’t have the same environmental debt that new vehicles have.

I have a feeling that, if the brake dust issue blows over, that the next item on the greens’ itinerary will be that of heavy particulates from tyre wear…

And for those of you who live outside of our glorious capital, and feel that any kind of traffic reduction measures are of no consequence to

you whatsoever, remember that other cities and large towns have similar proposals ready to be made. As an example, Cardiff Council has recently launched a Transport White Paper, laying out a 10-year plan that will ‘reduce congestion and improve air quality’. The plan includes congestion charging, and that will exempt motorcycles, but then the London congestion charge also exempted powered two-wheelers when it was first introduced in 2003!

TfL seems to have quickly forgotten that just a 10% shift from driving cars to using motorcycles results in a 40% reduction in congestion!

But is this of any relevance to classic bikes, I hear you cry. Although most commuters don’t use classic bikes, the over-40-years-old exemption means that classics have a greater viability for London commuters, which will hopefully see a commensurate increase in interest in our particular corner of the motorcycling world. And an increase in interest is vitally important if our bikes are going to have a future.

As an aside, my search for a bargain basement Bantam (or James, see pages 22-25) continues, despite the fact that I don’t seem to have enough spare time to get into the garage and work on the bikes that I already own, yet I’ve still had time to get to an autojumble or two, which brings me to another thing.

You’ll notice a new column in this month’s issue – The ‘Jumbler – a regular piece that will be looking at the life in and around autojumbles, with views from stallholders, organisers and visitors, and we’d be interested in hearing any views on autojumbling life, and the stories behind any exciting finds too.

Enjoy the issue,

February 2020

NEWS 3

Collin Seelley (stand ding)) allongsiide Joh hn 'Moon Eyes'' Cooper in th he sad ddle at Earl’s Court, 1967.

Colin aboard one of the road-g going Hondas at Brands Hatch in 1976.

Seelley and d Mike Haiilwood d, in frontt off the work ks van!!

Colin Seeley C Seeley, with Wally Rawlings in the chair chair, third in the 1962 Sidecar TT on his G50 G50.

Colin Seeley RIP

W

hile there have been so many people who started their twowheeled careers by something as simple as messing around with their, and their mates’ bikes, few have gone on to such an impressive career as Colin Seeley.

As a teenager, he was fixing bikes in a shed at his home, influenced by the fact that his father had a Vincent sidecar that Colin used to pass his test, although his first bike was a 250cc MOV Velo. By the time he was 18, he’d started his own business in Belvedere, Kent, after being rejected for National Service as being unfit! Within a couple of years he’d become a dealer for various British marques, as well as taking up scrambling, while his stellar rise in the motorcycling world continued in 1960 by road racing sidecars, winning the British sidecar titles in 1962 and 1963, and setting the fastest ever TT

sidecar lap on a British single (using a 500 Matchless), and winning the Dutch TT in 1964 aboard a Fath-Camathias BMW. When Associated Motor Cycles went into receivership in 1966, Seeley was able to acquire the contents and manufacturing rights to AJS, Matchless and Norton racers. He had built his own Seeley race bike in 1965 and, following the race shop coup, his business then concentrated almost exclusively on race bikes from 1966. It can be said that Seeley racers kept the British single competitive at GP level through to the end of the 1960s.

As his racing career drew to a close, Seeley concentrated on designing and manufacturing aftermarket frames, initially for AJS and Matchless powerplants, using Reynolds 531 tubing, but soon branching into other engine manufacturers, including the two-stroke single and twin-cylinder motors developed by Queen’s

Telford Classic off-road

As you’ll have seen from the centre four pages of this issue, the middle weekend of this month sees the Telford International Centre playing host to the Hagon Classic Dirt Bike Show. All the details can be seen on those very four pages, including not only a plan to the show, but a timetable detailing when the guest stars – Bernie Schrieber and Bryan ‘Badger’ Goss – will be interviewed on stage.

There’s also an impressive range of twin shock Montesas on display, as well as the prototypical Honda TLR bikes (pictured) that Marland Whaley rode to American Observed Trials Championship crowns in 1975, ’76 and ’77, plus the multitudinous show bikes, trade stands and autojumble bargains.

Be there on February 15 and 16.

University Belfast, as well as the popular Yamaha twostrokes, thus creating the effective Yamsel.

With Seeley-framed race machines proving so successful – as an example, the 1969 Senior TT had four Seeley-framed bikes in the top 10 finishers – it was a natural progression to build frames for road bikes.

In fact, there was a complete machine built from 1971, using a Matchless G50 engine as the Seeley Condor (the first UK road bike to cost over £1000). This was followed by the epic Seeley Honda 750, using the single overhead cam four-cylinder Honda engine, initially available as a complete bike, but then also offered in kit form. The range was expanded with ‘Phil Read Replica’ Hondas using the CB750F2 engine, the Seeley TL200 trials bike, a selection of fairings and the Seeley ‘Easy-Fit’ exhaust megaphone silencers.

In fact, between ’66 and ’80,

Seeley made frames for no less than 15 different marques.

While Seeley moved on to work in the car racing world, working alongside Bernie Ecclestone and the Brabham race team, the bikes that he built have remained popular, particularly in the classic racing world, and still prove successful in events such as the Classic TT. Sadly, after a period of illness due to vascular dementia, Colin Seeley passed away in hospital on January 7, aged 84, following a fall.

4 NEWS

February 2020

The Stafford autojumble is expansive and eclectic.

Stuart stars at Stafford

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pril’s Stafford Show – known officially by its somewhat long-winded title, the 40th Carole Nash International Classic MotorCycle Show – is not only the 40th iteration of the Stafford Show, but will also be encompassing a 1940s theme thanks to the date (April 25 and 26) covering the 75th anniversary of VE Day, and multi-successful racer Stuart Graham will be attending too.

The Forties link will be emphasised by one of the show halls featuring a Spitfire and a Hurricane taking centre stage, and visitors are encouraged to join in with the theme, much like the owners’ clubs will be doing on their own stands.

Cheshire-based racer

Stuart Graham will be sharing his racing tales with the live audience throughout the weekend, explaining how he followed his father, 1949 500cc world champion Les Graham, into racing, regardless of the fact that Les was killed while racing at the TT in 1953.

After claiming runnerup spot to Giacomo Agostini in the 500cc Belgian GP in 1966, Stuart earned a place on the factory Honda team, riding the stupendous six-cylinder 250 as team-mate to Mike Hailwood. By 1973 Graham had moved to four wheels, and the British Touring Car Championship, before becoming a Honda dealer in south Cheshire (at which my mum’s Honda Civic was serviced… Ed).

Dropping the Honda into the right hander at Creg-ny-Baa.

Stuart Graham in action on the Suzuki.

As is always the case at Stafford, there’s far more besides – the racer paddock (with a Rolls-Royce Merlin engine also getting chance to clear its throat), no less than 900 traders, a huge indoor and outdoor autojumble, and the Bonhams auction.

Stuart Graham on a 50cc Suzuki climbing May Hill in Ramsey in the 1967 TT.

Advance tickets are on sale now, with a 20% saving on the gate price, from the website at www. classicmagazines. co.uk/stafford

Classic TT auction set for August Auction items with an impressive collective reserve price of almost £500,000 are lined up for an auction of motorcycles and memorabilia to take place at the 2020 Classic TT. Due to be held over four days, auctioneers Charterhouse have invited members of the public to go to the Isle of Man Motor Museum to have their memorabilia valued and to advise them of their items’ historical

significance. Bikes that have already been confirmed to be in the 2020 auction include Mick Grant’s Kawasaki H2R race bike, Niall Mackenzie’s ex-works 350cc carbon fibre-framed Armstrong, an NSU Supermax race bike and a Laverda Formula 500 from 1978. The trip to the Isle of Man also identified a very rare marshal’s armband from the early 1900s, and two TT trophies from the 1920s.

Charterhouse staged a second valuation day on January 26, which will no doubt have uncovered more exciting bikes and memorabilia.

The first auction is scheduled to take place during the 2020 August bank holiday weekend in the Classic TT Paddock in Nobles Park and will be open to both online and on-event bidders. For more information, email bikes@charterhouseauction.com

6 NEWS

Vapour Honing UK

T

he removal of unwanted paint, dirt, grease and general detritus is never a problem with sturdy, hefty components, but when it comes to the more delicate parts of a motorcycle’s build, you have to take a little precaution when preparing parts.

Knowing how easy it could be to totally ruin hard-to-find components, classic racer and collector Dave Fitzpatrick formed a new business providing vapour

blasting services to other restorers, enthusiasts and engineers, although he actually prefers to term it as ‘vapour honing’.

The process combines water with a blast media and high pressure/ volume air. This slurry can be used not only on external faces, but also An upper crankcase half before on mating surfaces, and even nonblasting... metallic parts as you may find on a carburettor. Using a powdered glass media produces a very bright finish on aluminium components without making any change to the dimensions, and Dave has used it on pistons, engine cases and gearbox parts – as the glass media is very round and soft, it doesn’t deteriorate the base layer.

The pistons you see here were heavily coked up, especially the oil scraper ring groove which had ... and after blasting even blocked the oil galleries, but after cleaning you can even see the they could be reused, and they were manufacturing marks, ready for – very successfully! inspection and measuring to see if A set of freshly cleaned pistons.

Changing the media to ceramic (which is very hard and angular) and tweaking the air supply means that even factory applied paints can be removed, although the end finish is less bright. Aluminium oxide is even more aggressive, and can be used on heavy works applied coatings but, naturally, Dave doesn’t use this on mating or wear surfaces.

If you are in doubt as to whether the process is suitable for your parts, just get in touch with Dave. He can work on a sacrificial part to show what results are possible, or call and have a chat at the workshop or at this year’s BHR meetings, which Dave attends.

Based in the beautifully named Pott Shrigley in Cheshire, Vapour Honing UK can be contacted on 01265 560060 or through the website at www.vapourhoning,co.uk The blasting cabinet where all the action happens!

February 2020

Jam and Jerusalem ‘jumble Some of you may remember that the Midshires Branch of the Royal Enfield Owners’ Club held an autojumble at Willoughby Village Hall a couple of years ago. It was a great success, and lots of parts found new homes at sensible prices and as a bonus, it was a good social event with quite a few riders making it the focus of a ride out. Well, the club is doing it again, albeit this time hosted by the Home Counties Branch of the REOC (but don’t be fooled, it’s nearer the Midlands than south!)

Although this is an REOC organised event, all makes of motorcycle are welcome along with clothing, literature, anything relevant. It’s the perfect opportunity to clear that stuff you’ve been tripping over for years, hopefully making you some money and someone else happy!

The Home Counties Autojumble will take place on Saturday, April 18 in the Village Hall, Chestnut

Road, Yardley Gobion, Towcester, Northamptonshire, NN12 7TW. Doors open at 10, event closes at 4.

There will be tea, coffee and cake available inside the hall to keep you going and the hall has the usual facilities, although you could make a slightly fuller day of it by popping into the Super Sausage transport cafe (just one mile away) for a substantial breakfast beforehand!

Entry £3 on the door, proceeds to club funds and the branch’s chosen charity, Mind (for mental health). Stallholders £5 per table inside, outside pitches available, price by arrangement. Book more than one table if you’re really serious! Set up from 8.30am. For bookings or queries please contact Mark at trials59@yahoo.co.uk Look for the signs as you enter the village. There is limited parking at the hall but plenty of space nearby, including the adjacent pub car park. Please park with consideration for residents!

Velocette bible reprint on sale While Ivan Rhodes’ book on all things Velocette, Technical Excellence Exemplified, had been out of print for some time, it’s now been relaunched with new content and a new title.

Now called Velocette, Passion of a Lifetime, it is even more comprehensive than the first version, and in order to both celebrate and promote the launch, Ivan Rhodes will be appearing at the National Motorcycle Museum on Saturday, March 28, from 11am.

The museum would like to

inviite alll owners off Vellocetttes, particularly those with KTT models, for a semi-impromptu Velocette show on the day, at which the revamped book will be for sale, at £30, while Ivan will be on hand to sign copies.

8 NEWS

February 2020

Classic chronometry with a modern twist

Pinhard Trophy winner One of the UK’s most prestigious motorcycling awards, as awarded by the Sunbeam MCC, is the Pinhard Trophy, presented by the club since 1950 to the best under-21-year-old sporting motorcyclist competing under ACU or SACU jurisdiction.

This year, the huge three-gallon cup was presented to 19-year-old trials rider, Toby Martyn, a hugely successful young man who has not only represented Great Britain at the X Trial Des Nations and Trial Des Nations, but was also invited to ride at Sheffield Indoor and the second round of the X Trial World Champs in France, while riding for the Beta Factory Team, contesting World, European and British Championship Trials, finishing joint third in the Worlds and 2nd in the British against much more experienced competitors.

Toby’s response to learning that he will receive the Pinhard Trophy this year was: “Fantastic. I am honoured to receive this prestigious award, so many past winners have gone on to have massive careers and hopefully I can continue this. Big thanks to everyone who has considered me worthy of this great award, and thanks to the Sunbeam club members for continuing to present this very special trophy.” The previous winners that Toby alludes to include Mike Hailwood, Jeff Smith, Bill Martin, Roy Peplow, Dan Shorey, Scott Ellis, Alexz Wigg and a host of others who have gone on to be national and international household names.

While the oldest of classsic machinery doesn’t actually require a speedometer by law, much of our classic bikes do, although it has to be said that many classic bikes don’t have particularly accurate speedos as standard.

While there are a great number of options for an aftermaarket chronometer, not all have th the classic style that this standalone instrument from Digital Speedos has. As the supplier’s name suggests, this isn’t a unit that is mechanicallydriven, but is completely unique as it not only features the dial face layout of a chronometric speedo but is completely self-contained, with no wiring required as it operates

from a recchargeable battery within tthe speedometer’s casin ng, and picks up its speed from global po ositioning satellites – n no drive cables to fit, o or to break, and no aadditional wiring to be b undertaken.

The unit is perfect fo or vintage and classic bikkes not just because of its style and accuracy, but also o because it is able tto b be moved d from bike to bike, which could be a definite bonus for those of us with more than one classic motorcycle. The normal retail price will be £425, although the price at the launch in Shepton Mallet will be £395 including VAT. More details are available from Jon at Digital Speedos on 01564 775522 or at www.digitalspeedos.co.uk

The Ellis Journey, 125 years on The Ellis Journey is a re-enactment of the journey made in 1895 by the Hon Evelyn Ellis and his passenger Fredrick Simms, in Ellis’s newly acquired French left-hand-drive Panhard et Levassor Petroleum Motor Carriage in contravention of the law at a speed in excess of four miles per hour and without an attendant walking in front with a red flag.

Starting near Winchester on July 5, and finishing at Ellis’s home in Datchet, close to Windsor Castle, the route was on the unpaved Old London Coaching Road. And this year’s re-enactment, also on July 5 (starting, as Ellis did, at 8.26am), follows the original route as near as possible, and is an annual event open to cars, motorcycles,

commercial vehicles and bicycles manufactured before 1905.

Many of the entrants dress in period costume for the non-competitive event, with much of the route running alongside the River Thames, running past Ellis’ home, Rosenau, and ending on Datchet village green to the accompaniment of a jazz band, followed by a vehicle display and evening barbecue at The Norton Park Hotel near Winchester.

Entry vehicles can be powered by petroleum, spirit, steam, electric and including pedal cycles and other horseless mechanical road transport with or without motor power. More information can be found at www. ellisjourney.co.uk or on 07989 978335.

Sunday best at the NMM The National Motorcycle Museum has added a little extra feature to the museum’s foyer, with a ‘dressing up’ area to allow visitors to wear some appropriate garb for selfies and photo opportunities. As such, museum team members are looking for donations of suitable motorcycle jackets, helmets, boots and gloves in all sizes to expand the appeal to all visitors to the Solihull venue.

If any of you can help, then please contact sarah@thenmm.co.uk at the National Motorcycle Museum. More details of all the museum’s attractions can be found at www. thenmm.co.uk

10 NEWS

February 2020

Brit duo Triumph-ing at Bonneville

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intage motorbike racers from Cornwall have achieved their ambitious targets of breaking American Land Speed Records against the epic backdrop of the Bonneville Salt Flats in Western Utah, US. Team Wildcard consists of Phil Betty and Miki Sprosen, both vintage and classic clubman racers for more than 20 years. They are sponsored

by Monty’s Classic Motorcycles, which, like the racers, is based in the Tamar Valley in East Cornwall. Both riders have been track racing with British Historic Racing since the 1990s and four years ago they made the mutual decision to branch out to land speed racing. Taking up the opportunities afforded

by Straightliners at Pendine Sands and Elvington, they quickly achieved UK records and so set their sights on the racing mecca of Bonneville, for the Speed Trials AMA Grand Championship 2019.

Miki and Phil have been Triumph enthusiasts for a number of decades, so the opportunity to take their Triumphs to Bonneville was a natural choice. They also wanted to get the relevant records back on the classic British bikes, as before their trip the 350 record was held

by Moto Morini and the 650 record by Kawasaki. Phil was determined to regain the 350 record on a 1957 T21, owned by Lenny Diggins, and Miki set his sights on the 650 record on his 1971 production 650.

Miki said: “Bonneville is an

iconic place, a mecca for racers across the world. Anyone who’s seen The World’s Fastest Indian would want to give it a shot.

After we started straightlining, and achieved our initial aims and records at both Pendine Sands and Elvington, we knew it was now or never.

“We made the decision to go a few years ago and in between we have been saving the money while researching all of the details and preparing our two Triumphs.”

Phil said: “As with all racing, you spend hundreds of hours in the shed building and rebuilding the bikes, then testing them. All this for a few minutes on the track. But those few minutes are what inspire you to do it all again next time.

“We were both ready, and hungry, for the Bonneville adventure – and prepared to go out and get those records back for Triumph.”

Following months of research, both flew out to Salt Lake City, eager to see the bikes which had been air freighted via Seaborne Freight. There was a palpable relief in the air when the bikes, tools and gear were ready and waiting in an industrial unit on the edge of the city. The team then journeyed across Western Utah to get their first view of the hallowed Bonneville Salt Flats, and meet the volunteers who create this global racing phenomenon.

After the first two days of racing, the bikes were just off the existing record times, so both guys worked on

Miki and Phil, between Monty and Ann from Monty's Classics.

The successful team and their bikes, back in Cornwall.

their bikes well into the night, making changes to valve timing and compression, and on day three, after a 5am alarm call, they went out on to the salt in the cooler morning conditions and scored the American Land Speed Records that they had crossed the Atlantic to gain.

A significant part of classic motorbike racing lies in finding and squeezing speed out of engines and machinery that was originally built to achieve much lesser figures. Phil took two seconds off the existing record for his class, making more than 98mph on the 1957 Triumph T21, a bike originally built with speeds suitable for a gentle commute to and from the workplace.

Miki followed quickly behind, initially taking two seconds off the 650 pushrod production record, and then returning each day to continue to break his own record, taking the final speed to more than 106mph.

You are not allowed to modify bikes in the production class, so performance gains are minimal, and a one mile an hour improvement can take months of development. Both records were recently affirmed with the official certificates which were delivered back to Cornwall on their return.

Phil said: “All the planning and logistics came together for both of us on Day 3, along with the weather and the salt conditions which enabled us to achieve our goal of taking these Bonneville records on Triumphs. Riding the bikes out on the salt for the first time was like living a dream – intense but

somehow completely natural.

We had dreamt of coming to Bonneville and worked so hard to get those records, but none of it was ever a given. Then, when we both achieved our records in quick succession, it was quite possibly the best day of my entire life.”

Miki said: “We felt like rookies before we arrived, but by the end of the event, with the overwhelming support of everyone there, it felt like we were always meant to be there. The Bonneville organisers, scrutineers and all the volunteers, plus all of the other racers and their supporting crews and families, are phenomenal and we cannot thank everyone enough for looking after us so well – especially The Edwards Racing team. Our thanks also go to our sponsor, Monty’s Classic Motorcycles and his parts supplier, LF Harris.”

Miki continued: “Our classic Triumphs caused quite a stir over there and it was brilliant to connect with the small number of other Triumph racers who were also competing. We would absolutely recommend that any interested racers make the journey to Bonneville.

“There really is nowhere like it and we’d be delighted to pass on any advice, or information, to any other British racers who are keen to discover this epic experience.”

The Team Wildcard riders are now considering conquering new FIM Land Speed World Records in 2020 on more modern Hinckley Triumph bikes.

Return to Arms in Staffs Last year’s classic motorcycle show at the Clifford Arms in Great Haywood, Staffordshire, surpassed its target with regards to fundraising, with more than £1000 raised for the Air Ambulance and Blood Bikes, while tea and coffee were sold in aid of the Crohn’s and Colitis UK charity.

This year’s show, on Sunday, May 17, aims not only to beat last year’s total, but also to top the 300-plus bikes that turned

up, with the Norton Owners Club, South Staffs VJMC, Motto Guzzi Club, VMCC and of course the Clifford Arms Classic Car and Bike Club already confirmed for attendance.

The Clifford Arms is in Great Haywood, ST18 0SR, and there’s no entry fee, except organisers do ask for a donation to one or all the charities.

Entrants please contact Barry, barry.owen573@ntlworld.com

Last year’s Clifford Arms Show winner, Mike Walker’s lovely Guzzi single.

12 NEWS

February 2020

Motor Museum's evening talks Welcome to a new column for Old Bike Mart and, as the name suggests, it is set to focus on all things autojumble. The sellers, the buyers, the bargains, the old and The practical and the the new, the venues, pretty. organisers and the future of ‘jumbling… or just the one-off visit While the naysayers from a bloke clearing will already be saying out his shed. And that this column is we’ll also be including nothing more than a views and behind-thepromotional vehicle scenes secrets from for the events that the the dedicated folk publishers of Old Bike who organise such Mart also organise, events too. that would be While we don’t need inaccurate and unfair. to convince most of For this is set to be the OBM readers that the soapbox which all autojumbles are worth a regular ‘jumblers can visit on a cold February use – whether they Saturday or Sunday be the regulars who morning, there are sell stock from their those people out there livelihood business, who are firmly of the

Autojumbles have begun replacing closed-down dealers, in that consumables can be had for reasonable money.

Specialist and commonplace tools are part of the modern autojumble scene.

This seller is clearly on a new year resolution, with a no-carb diet…

opinion that the days of the autojumble are long gone, and that all the ‘real trade’ is done on the internet nowadays, either through websites, social media or auction sites. While they all clearly have a part to play in the sourcing and delivery of classic bike parts and paraphernalia, there’s nothing better than being able to actually pick a part up and closely scrutinise it before deciding that it really is the rare and wonderful gimlet, gadget or geegaw that you need for your project. And then, once you’re decided on your purchase, you can have a hot cuppa and a natter with likeminded chaps and chapesses and grab a

If you want to get ahead…

Some say that there are no bargains to be found any more – this picture suggests otherwise, with two Yamaha engines, including ancillaries, for just a monkey.

few consumables for the workshop before leaving and heading home for lunch and an afternoon fettling with your new purchases.

Consequently, while the OBM editorial team (yes, all of me) will be attending as many autojumbles throughout the year as possible, we’ll also be asking people to get in touch and give their opinion, tell tales of parts and bikes that they’ve found and purchased, spin stories of autojumbling life, and to explain to the public just how easy, or hard, it is to set up and run a successful autojumble. At some point, we’ll also be giving a comparison between the Great British autojumble and the American swap meet too.

Although not all of the evening talks at the National Motor Museum in Beaulieu are focused on powered two-wheelers, most of the talks will be of interest to anyone who likes internal combustion engines and travel, or both.

Two of the talks lined up for this spring could be of interest to the average OBM reader (although most of our readers are, of course, far above average), the first being one by author and journalist Steph Jeavons, talking about leading the first ever all-female riding group from Kathmandu to Mount Everest Base Camp (as pictured below).

Hear how Girls on Top was an incredible journey filled with highs and lows, as the bikers battled with extreme weather conditions, injuries and altitude sickness, before reaching their destination. This evening, on Saturday, March 21, includes exclusive access to the National Motor Museum from 6pm.

A second, entitled The Petroliana Experience, looks

into the world of automobile paraphernalia, and the world of vintage petrol pumps, period garage equipment, advertising artwork and other sought-after collectables from the golden age of motoring. It’s presented

by Alan Chandler, a gent with a collection of almost 4000 items, having travelled the world in search of elusive petroliana of yesteryear, as well as writing four books as an expert on the subject. This talk will be held on Saturday, April 18.

All of the talks will take place at 7.30pm in the Lecture Theatre of the National Motor Museum’s Collections Centre. Tickets are £10 (or £7.50 for Friends of the National Motor Museum Trust) which are available from Theresa Browning at friends@beaulieu. co.uk or 01590 614792. All profits help support the National Motor Museum Trust. For more information about membership of the Friends of the National Motor Museum Trust see www. nationalmotormuseum.org.uk/ the_friends

Llandudno Transport Festival dates The Llandudno Transport Festival has new dates for 2020, with this year’s event running over the early May bank holiday weekend, May 9 and 10, for this year only. The 2021 early May bank holiday will revert back to its normal Saturday, Sunday and Monday, with the change being made by the Government to coincide with the 75 years celebration of VE Day. The Transport Festival & Towns Victorian Extravaganza will embrace this celebration wherever possible, with an emphasis on life 75 years ago.

While this isn’t a motorcycle-

specific event, there are a number of organised runs out from the Victorian seafront town, heading into the North Wales countryside, and a number of clubs – including the British Motorcycle Preservation Society – are already signed up for the weekend.

More information can be found at the website at www.llantransfest.co.uk and on Facebook, while entry forms are available by sending a stamped addressed envelope to LTF Office, 4 Ffordd Celyn, Colwyn Bay, Conwy LL29 8RN, and writing on its inside flap that you require a motorcycle form.

Dave Degens - The Triton Years and his Triumphs to date Recognised as one of the UK’s leading tuning specialists, Dave Degens started his racing career back in the 1960s, building Tritons for the café racer tribe, before successfully trying his hand at endurance racing in the late ‘60s and early ‘70s, winning the Barcelona 24 Hour Race in both 1965 and 1970 as a privateer against the big manufacturers. The bike which took top honours at Barcelona in 1970 was a unit Triumph engine in Degens’ own Dresda chassis.

Still building bikes, he uses what he calls ‘sound, sensible engineering’ to entice 80bhp from a Triumph twin engine. He can also tune for solid durability or economy, so if you don’t need 80bhp then Dave can give you 100mpg instead.

Those folk who’re interested in hearing more about Degens’ race or engineering history will be pleased to hear that he’ll be making a guest appearance at the South of England Classic Motorcycle Show and Bikejumble, on Sunday, March 29. Held at the South of England Showground in Ardingly, West Sussex, the

show opens at 10am, and entrance is £6.

There’ll not only be five halls of show and autojumble stands, but also a pre-1980 bike show, club stands and more, including some fantastic catering.

Autojumble and stand space can be booked by visiting www.elk-promotions.co.uk for more details, while bike show entrants gain free entry if they’ve applied before March 1, again via the website.

14 MADE IN JAPAN

February 2020

This 1959 CF40 is one of just 14 known examples of the 247cc V-twin.

Marusho

This 500cc ’63 Marusho Magnum can be found in the Barber museum in Alabama, and originally sold for $995 in the American market.

The 350cc flat twin had a decidedly more touring style and nature to the sport rtier t V-twins

We often hear the main Japanese manufacturers referred to as The Big Four, with the occasional oblique reference to Bridgestone acting in the role of George Martin as the fifth member of The Beatles. Holding on to that Mop-Top analogy for a moment, Steve Cooper takes a peek at another Japanese company that’s often overlooked and could, arguably, be described as the Pete Best of the Japanese bike world.

M

asashi Ito, founder of Marusho, got off to a good start in the world of internal combustion engines when he began an apprenticeship working with Soichiro Honda at the latter’s car repair business in the early 1930s. After the war, Ito and an older brother set up a car repair shop circa 1946 but, by 1950, Masashi Ito was making motorcycles loosely based around pre-war Zundapp singles. Variously named LB, ML and LC, most of the machines featured shaft drive, which would become something of a signature design on all future models. Confusingly the brand name Marusho has historically often been swapped out for the rather odd title of Lilac as a marque name. The story goes that lilac was the favourite colour of Mrs Ito, so her husband opted to use it and probably gained some much-needed brownie points in the early, frantic days of his business venture…

The company’s progress was often chaotic, veering from feast to famine and back again. Quality control seems to have been a primary issue for production problems and sales successes, along with some occasionally very odd business decisions; one of the strangest has to be the scooter deal. Industrial giant Mitsubishi Nippon Heavy Industries had moved into twowheeled transport and, initially at least, had done rather well with their Silver Pigeon scooters. However, as the 1960s loomed scooter sales nose-dived and, against logic and common sense, Marusho took on the Pigeon with a view to selling it as the Silver Pigeon Galepet. It all went horribly wrong and left Marusho with debts and cash flow issues that almost closed the business. This was ultimately to become a recurrent theme with the company becoming a subcontractor

to Honda in 1962, having to relaunch itself in 1963/64 before finally closing in 1968.

Ironically, many of Marusho’s designers and engineers moved on to Bridgestone, which would also close just three years later. Often perceived as little more than a dusty footnote in motorcycle history, the machines offered by the small firm deserve better recognition so we’ll have a quick look at some.

The 150cc Lilac ML/LB/LC, of 1950/1951/1952, utilised long stroke, sidevalve motors with two-speed transmissions, shaft drive, housed in chassis made of pressed steel; the styling was variously Gallic or Teutonic. The mid 1950s saw Lilac KD/KE/KH 150/200/250cc variants mostly carried in tubular steel chassis. The engines by this period were mainly OHV units and, atypically for the time, were often over square bore/stroke arrangements. Plunger rear suspension and telescopic forks became standard features. The Lilac SY 250 single proved to be something of a signature machine for the firm and ultimately ran for some six years. The general layout is said to have been influenced by BMW’s postwar singles and there is a definite similarity, something that would reappear at the end of the company’s life. Singles would remain a constant throughout the 1950s for the firm with machines such as the 90cc DP Baby Lilac, 125cc PV Minna scooter and the 104 JF model that looked oddly like the Italian Rumi scooter.

Some of the firm’s most iconic designs and creative thinking appeared in the late 1950s and early 1960s with a range of V-twins that made up the LS, MF, CF and CS series. The engines were mounted transversally across the duplex frames with an included angle of just 66 degrees between the cylinders of

everything other than the 125s, which gave a remarkably narrow front profile. Equipped with telescopic forks and a rear swinging arm, the range encompassed capacities from 125cc up to 300cc, with a nominal 350 existing as a prototype. The design was reminiscent of the West German Victoria Bergmeister but ran a conventional transmission of gears, not the oddball chain and cogs setup of the European machine. All the V-twins used a rotary four-speed transmission with shift pattern of Neutral-1-2-3-4–Neutral, which was relatively common at the time for the domestic home markets. The 125cc models ran compact 90-degree motors rated at 11.5bhp, which was as good as any four-stroke competitor of the time.

Long before small-block Moto Guzzis or pushrod Honda CX500s, Marusho’s engineering delivered one of the motorcycling world’s most considered all-round packages with a generator at the front of the motor and a shaft final drive. The V-twin range was uniquely styled with many models featuring heavily sculptured tanks that were half chrome-plated and equipped with triangular knee pads. Dependent upon intended market and/or use, the bikes were either equipped with single carburettors on a Y manifold or twin units mounted direct to the cylinder heads. The final, 250/300, iterations of the V-twins were marketed as ‘Lancer’ models and the name is often erroneously attributed to all the V-twin models.

Despite troubled production, dubious business decisions and dire cash flow issues, Marusho as a company refused to roll over and play dead. The early to mid-1960s saw the firm give one last roll of the dice in a bid to gain significant market share and, crucially, break into the all-important American market.

IIn 1964 the ST was launched as a 500cc flat ttwin, remarkably akin to contemporary BMWs. R Revised and updated in response to reliability iissues, the bike was rebranded as the Magnum ffor 1966 but, again, failed to garner significant sales in the US. One final push a year later saw tthe Marusho Magnum Electra launched with an electric starter said to be from an Italian car and proper oil filtration system but it was all too little, too late. Only 125 examples were b built before Masashi Ito, founder of Marusho, h had to call it a day but, in all honesty, he and h his unique machines had run along for much longer than many had believed possible.

If further proof were needed that Marusho Lilac were innovators extraordinaire you only have to look at the prototype Lilac C-103/C-105 models. Who else would have dared to dream of sports-oriented 125 or 160cc flat twins with a pair of carburettors?

There really is little room for complacency in the world of Japanese classics, or any other motorised vehicle for that matter.

Media hype, fake news, skewed data and, frankly, downright lies continue to poison the well. If you have a social media account, the chances are you will regularly see what’s known as ‘haters’ getting all pious, high and mighty about the pollution that we, the owners and users of ICE vehicles, have inflicted upon the planet.

If you’re struggling with that particular acronym, it means Internal Combustion Engine and is another new stick with which to hit us.

There is absolutely no doubt that the old bikes we enjoy are polluters, pure and simple. However, so is every other single mechanical machine on Mother Earth, it’s more a question of how you measure that contamination and how you present the resultant data. If the statistics are displayed by a business or individual with any form of agenda then the likelihood is that said figures will be shaped, massaged or crafted to lead the audience in a certain direction. Sceptical?

Three decades ago an industry study looked closely at how much pollution was involved in the production of an average car and the results were so damning that the report was suppressed by those that supposedly commissioned it. Fast forward to 2020 and a lot of that, and similar data, is now in the public domain.

The average family petrol-engined car delivers 17 tonnes of carbon dioxide before it even turns a wheel on the road.

And before you jump on the electric vehicle bandwagon, it’s worth knowing that their environmental impact pre-start up is reckoned to be 15-20% greater than that of an equivalent ICE vehicle!

Despite what some ill-informed, selfrighteous environmentalists would have us believe we, the classic motorcycle brigade, are not gross polluters – the only time our bikes can pollute is when they are running. And the argument that multi-bike ownership creates even more harmful emissions is totally fallacious – none of us can ride more than one bike at a time! Unless you regularly commute on a worn-out classic, your impact on the planet is negligible.

It would be a gross error of judgment to assume that, if we don’t rock the boat, we’ll be able to carry on as we are. Motorcyclists are disproportionately high profile and are an easy sub-group to target. Ill-informed reasoning, political posturing and downright prejudice will see us flagged up as gross polluters with evidence based around halftruths, misconceptions and, potentially, downright lies. Should you be in any doubt of this, just look deeper into the fiasco that is the ULEZ (Ultra Low Emission Zone) setup within London. Despite evidence to the contrary old bikes have been discriminated against. If you ride an old bike you’ll pay £12.50 for the privilege – the same as a car – each and every time you enter the zone. The application of such taxes does absolutely nothing for the environment, but does penalise you for not buying a brand new vehicle!

You may have a warm comfortable feeling from the fact that your classic is MoT and road tax exempt and, at face value, the powers that be have cut us some slack, but ask yourself why? Is there a hidden agenda that we’re totally unaware of? Have we inadvertently signed up for punitive legislation? Will we see old vehicles effectively regulated off the roads? Every classic vehicle owner is a target for token flag waving where ‘being green’ is now a potential vote winner.

February 2020

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