Old Bike Mart July 2015

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After a heavy downpour, the roads were still streaming when this group of riders checked in at the Chester control during what appears to be a National Rally in the mid-1950s, although we have no exact date to hand. Note the old-fashioned National Benzole and Shell petrol pumps in the background. Do any OBM readers recall the scene? Mortons Archive photo

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2 NEWS

July 2015

Pete’s Prattle www.oldbikemart.co.uk email: info@oldbikemart.co.uk

Editor Pete Kelly OBMEditor@mortons.co.uk Senior Designer Kelvin Clements Divisional advertising sales manager David England dengland@mortons.co.uk Advertising Ricky Nichols rnichols@mortons.co.uk Tania Shaw tshaw@mortons.co.uk 01507 524004 Marketing manager Charlotte Park Circulation manager Steve O’Hara Publisher Tim Hartley Publishing director Dan Savage Commercial director Nigel Hole Associate director Malcolm Wheeler General Queries 01507 529529 (24hr ansaphone) 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.

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What, in your view, was the most beautiful-looking motorcycle ever made?

I ask the question after attending the 67th Banbury Run, the biggest gathering of veteran and vintage motorcycles in the world, and feasting my eyes yet again on the ranks of technically diverse machinery awaiting the ‘off’.

Britain once boasted more than 275 motorcycle manufacturers – many of them small and local, some achieving giant-killing status on the race tracks of their day (especially the TT), and just a few going on to become large and successful concerns whose names remain familiar to most of us to this day.

Although the vast majority of the bikes were home-spun products,

some great continental manufacturers including NSU, Terrot, Peugeot, Victoria, Indian, Harley-Davidson, Motobecane, Moto Guzzi and Motosacoche were also represented.

Far from being dull, uninteresting and irrelevant, many of the machines boasted features that could still be usefully incorporated into the ever-diminishing choice of motorcycles on the roads today – decent mudguarding for one!

Beauty is always in the eye of the beholder, but I found it among both the sporty lightweights and plush heavyweights of their day, and especially the sidecar entries.

For a machine built 90 years ago, the 1925 Grindlay Peerless ridden

by Sammy Miller, with its 1000cc

That’s the spirit! Peter gets club stalwart award Vintage Motor Cycle Club member Peter Miller has won a Footman James Spirit of the Club award for his tireless efforts on behalf of the VMCC’s Dorset branch.

Launched last year, the annual award scheme is open to any member of six selected car and bike clubs in recognition of the many unsung heroes who attend club events and work for the benefit of fellow members, the criteria being selected by the clubs themselves.

Peter, who is also a board member of the VMCC, said: “i am delighted and humbled to have received such recognition

from both Footman James and my club. Having been a committed member for many years, it is very rewarding to be acknowledged in this way.”

Footman James director David Bond said: “From our work with many clubs, we know how much such stalwart members as Peter help to keep the classic movement alive.”

Launched in april 1946 by a band of 38 enthusiasts who wanted to form a motorcycle club for the owners of machines that were manufactured before December 1930, the VMCC now has a membership of more than 17,000.

Barr & Stroud sleeve-valve V-twin engine, was breathtakingly beautiful – and still looked as potent as on the day it was made.

With its rich brown lined paintwork and rounded fuel tank, Jane Anderson’s 1913 770cc V-twin NUT, built in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, also had me spellbound, as did David Jones’s 1929 499cc Ariel F, with the famous dark horse emblem on its tank, boasting lines that would still be quite familiar on motorcycles built well into the 1950s.

Another beautiful-looking machine that caught my eye was Ted Rowland’s 1930 498cc Raleigh MH30.

The sidecar entry had everything, from Peter Old’s genuine 1926 557cc BSA ice-cream outfit that

Pictured with his Ariel, Peter Miller has won a Footman James Spirit of the Club award for his hard work on behalf of the VMCC and its Dorset branch.

started life selling cornets on the sea front at Penzance to David Catton’s 1922 Norton 16H and rakish ‘torpedo’ sports sidecar.

Going back to the original question, though, my own bestlooking bike of all time remains the featherbed-framed Manx Norton.

What’s yours?

NEWS 3

July 2015

Grindlay Peerless outing for Sam in VMCC’s Banbury Run

You can always rely on Sammy Miller to turn up on something really special for the Vintage Motor Cycle Club’s Banbury run – and this year it was this majestic 1000cc 1925 Grindlay Peerless with its sleeve-valve Barr & Stroud V-twin engine.

Founded by Albert robert Grindlay and edward Peerless, the firm produced motorcycles in Shakleton road, Coventry, from 1923 until 1934, but before that it had made high-quality sidecars under the Grindlay name.

Perhaps that was the reason why they plumped for such a high-capacity V-twin right from the start, but a year later, Grindlay Peerless added a 500cc JAP-engined bike, followed by a 500cc sleevevalve Barr & Stroud engine before returning to the JAP. In 1926, on a 350cc JAP-

powered model, C W G (Bill) Lacey successfully campaigned one of the ‘singles’ at Brooklands. two years later, he set the hour record at over 103 miles, increasing it to over 105mph the following year.

In 1928 the range was extended further, with one of the machines being a 172cc two-stroke Villiers-powered lightweight, but by 1931, with the effects of the Great recession biting hard, Grindlay-Peerless began fitting rudge Python engines to its motorcycles and by 1932 the range had been reduced to just three models.

1934 was the last year of motorcycle production for the Midlands firm and after four years concentrating on different products entirely, Grindlay and Peerless ended their partnership in 1939.

Nickel-plated magnificence as Sammy Miller shows off his beautiful 1925 Grindlay-Peerless.

Ready to ride with On Two Wheels motorcycling app

reCeNt and soon-to-be motorcycling converts are being offered a range of hints, tips and general advice with the launch of the new biking app, on two Wheels. the app, available on all Apple devices, includes detailed information on topics such as ideal first-bike purchases, getting the right licence and buying the perfect riding kit.

Behind the project is motorcycling journalist Carli Smith, who said: “our original

idea was to produce something that not only encouraged people to take up motorcycling but also helped guide them through the process.

“Whether you’re 16 and in search of a first taste of freedom, a commuter who’s sick of public transport or a more experienced rider looking for advice on further training, on two Wheels will get you on your way.” the new app comes from Mortons Media, the group behind some of the uK’s

leading bike titles such as Classic Bike Guide, Twist & Go, MotorCycle Sport & Leisure, Real Classic, Motorcycle Monthly and, dare we add, Old Bike Mart, as well as being responsible for the MoreBikes platform that has enjoyed a successful debut year including the launch of a website, podcast, newsletter and weekly e-magazine.

Steve rose, publisher of Mortons’ Modern Motorcycle Division, said: “We’re excited by this new product as we continue

NMM to restore Foggy’s first bike Four-tIMe World Superbike Champion Carl Fogarty has chosen the National Motorcycle Museum’s workshop to restore his very first motorcycle. the little Honda C50based special was the product of Honda dealer Ken Martin, who made it for his son, Chris, around 1972 – and the speciallymade tank badge still reads ‘Motochris’ in recognition of its first owner.

Carl’s dad George bought it from Ken in 1975 and gave it to Foggy for his 10th birthday. recently reunited with the bike after nearly 40 years, Foggy decided to phone NMM director James Hewing to see about getting it restored.

James said: “I’ve worked with Carl in the past and was really pleased that he thought of the museum’s workshop to restore the bike for him. We have restored everything from the earliest and rarest veterans right through to superbikes of the 1970s, but never anything like this.

Foggy said: “It’s in a

Carl Fogarty and NMM Director James Hewing discuss the restoration of Foggy’s first bike – this Honda C50based special built by Ken Martin in the early 1970s.

rough state, but I know the lads at the museum will restore it back to just how it was when my dad gave it to me back in 1975.”

For more details of the restoration services that the National Motorcycle Museum can offer, call 01675 443311 or email james@thenmm.co.uk

our forays into the growing and developing digital market.

“While on two Wheels is a proposition that stands alone, it links very closely to our existing publications and multi-platform brands and we’ll ensure it meets the same standards.”

An initial download of on two Wheels, available now from the itunes store, costs £1.49 with additional content, including the latest reviews and new legislation, added as part of future updates.

Sixty years of the ‘Friendly Races’

To MARK 60 years of the Isle of Man’s Southern 100 road races on the technical 4¼ mile Billown circuit, a diamond jubilee DVD entitled The Southern 100 — 60 Years of the Friendly Races is now available through the Duke Video website www.dukevideo.com at £19.99.

With lots of footage and photographs, it shows some Riding through time – of the most memorable the cover of the new moments from the past six Southern 100 video from Duke decades – from Derek Ennett’s win in the inaugural Marketing.

350cc event through to the great battles between Guy Martin and Michael Dunlop in recent years.

Starting and finishing at Castletown, the narrow course has hardly changed since 1955 and greats like Bob McIntyre, John Hartle, Joey Dunlop, Ray McCullough, Brian Reid and Phil McCallen have carved their own pieces of history on it.

Some racers have become almost synonymous with the ‘Southern’, in particular Ian Lougher and Chris Palmer, and in return they have received plenty of support from the fans.

Some of the highlights from the course’s more recent history include Brian Reid in a 600cc practise session in 1992, Joey Dunlop in 1997, a circuit guide with Gary Carswell in 1998, Blair Degerholme v Ian Lougher in 2000 and Guy Martin in a 600cc race last year.

From the ‘open to centre’ race that started everything off in 1955 to today’s full international status, the Southern 100 has a right to be proud of its rich history.

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16 MADE IN JAPAN

July 2015

Diary Dates JULY 2015

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 8 23-27 International Irish Wedding & Clubs 5th Birthday Bash Rally 2015, The Blue Anchor Bar, Bellurgan Point, Carlingford Road, Dundalk, Ireland. tickets@shadowmann.com 24 Classic Bike & Car Meet, The Victoria, Coalville, Leics LE67 3FA. Tel 01530 814718. www.vicbikerspub.co.uk 24-25 Calne Bike Meet, Calne Town Centre, Wiltshire SN11 0EN. Tel 07570 478991. www.calnebikemeet.com 24-26 DDMC’s 4th Cumbria Custom Show 2015, Kendal RUFC, Mint Bridge, Kendal, Cumbria LA9 6DL. Tel 07831 522528. coley@ddmc.org or cowxy@ddmc.org web:www.facebook.com/groups/ cumbriacustomshow 24-26 Moto Guzzi Club GB Summer Camp. www.motoguzziclub.co.uk 24-26 DDMC’s Cumbria Custom Show 2015, Kendal RUFC, Mint Bridge, Kendal, Cumbria LA9 6DL. In aid of The Great North Air Ambulance. www.facebook.com/groups/ cumbriacustomshow 25 Kempton Bike Jumble, Kempton Park Racecourse, Sunbury-on-Thames TW16 5AQ. www.egp-enterprises.co.uk 25 LE Velo Northampton gathering, Red Lion, Thornby NN3 8SJ. Tel 01604 499858.

25 PKD Festival, Dalgety Bay Sports Centre, Harbour Drive, Dalgety Bay, Fife, Scotland KY11 9NA. Tel 01383 820310/07595 218305. www.pkdfestival.com 25-26 Thruxton Racing Weekend, Thruxton Race Circuit (A303), Thruxton, Andover, Hampshire SP11 8PW. www.thruxtonracing.co.uk 25-26 Wheelers Motorcycle Event, Thruxton Race Circuit (A303), Thruxton, Andover, Hampshire SP11 8PW. www.wheelersevents.co.uk 26 12th Suffolk Autojumble, Church Farm, Kettleburgh, near Woodbridge, Suffolk IP13 7LF Tel. 01728 724858 (before 9pm) 26 LE Velo (Lancs & S Lakes) Conishead Priory, near Ulverston (Buddhist temple), 11 for 12.

Tel 01772 782516.

26 South of England Summer Classic Show & Bikejumble. South of England Showground, Ardingly, West Sussex RH17 6TL. Tel 01797 344277. www.elk-promotions.co.uk 26 VMCC (Northampton) 15HP Run. Irchester Country Park, 2pm. Robert Percival 01933 355617.

26 Ride-Out – Stunt Fest & Streetfighter Show, Wembley – Ace Cafe London NW10 7UD. www.ace-cafe-london.com 26 Shaftdrive Sunday & IMTC, Ace Cafe London NW10 7UD. www.ace-cafe-london.com

26

Golden Era Run 2014, Yorkshire Air Museum, Halifax Way, Elvington, York YO41 4AV 26 19th Beaumanor Hall Classic Car & Transport Show, Beaumanor Hall, Woodhouse, Leicestershire LE12 8TX. www.transtarpromotions.co.uk 26 43rd Cheshire Classic Car & Motorcycle Show.

Capesthorne Hall, Macclesfield, Cheshire SK11 9JY. Tel 01484 667776. www.classicshows.org 26 Autojumble, Manchester Road, Rixton, near Warrington WA3 6EA. T Taylor 07860 648103.

26 Classic Japanese Day, CMC Motorcycles, High Street, Clay Cross, Chesterfield, Derbyshire S45 9DP. Tel 01246 860046. www.cmcbikes.com 26 Bexhill MofoFest 2015, De La Warr Pavilion, Bexhill on Sea, East Susses, TN40 1DP. Tel 07983 503973. www.bexhillmotofest.com 26 Harlow Car and Motorbike Show, Harlow Rugby Club, Elizabeth Way, Harlow, Essex CM20 2JQ. Tel 07952 768539.

26 Rotary Charity Motor Show, Frodsham Community Centre, Fluin Lane, Frodsham, Cheshire WA6 7QN. Tel 0151 203 9022. www.cheshiremotorshow.co.uk 26 Barnsley Bike Show, Barnsley Cricket Club, Shaw Lane, Barnsley, South Yorkshire S70 6HZ. 26 Suzuki Biker Café Day, Squires Café, Leeds. www.suzuki-gb.co.uk/motorcycles/events 26-Aug 8 Falcon Motorcycle Tours, 2015 Norway Tour.

Tel 07595 154547. www.motorcycle-sporttouring.com/Norway_motorcycle_tour.html 28 Lincs BTSC Open meeting, BBQ, Coningsby Moorside. Bob or Maureen 01526 345720 28 Barnsley Bikers Show With Go, Station Road, Wombwell, Barnsley. www.showwithgo.co.uk 29 AUGUST ISSUE OF CLASSIC BIKE GUIDE 29 Sports Bike Night, Blacksmith’s Arms, Rothwell. www.lincolnshirebikenights.com 29 Cruiser Bike Night, Beach Bar, Sutton on Sea. www.lincolnshirebikenights.com 30-Aug 2 Million in 10 Rally at Calstock 2015, The Playing Fields, Calstock, Cornwall PL18 9QA. Tel 07523 830495. www.calstockbikeshow.co.uk 31 Classic Bike & Car Meet, The Victoria, Coalville, Leics LE67 3FA. Tel 01530 814718. www.vicbikerspub.co.uk 31 Wold Bikers Charity Bike Night, The Coach and Horses, Tattershall Road, Billinghay LN4 4DD. Tel 07920 859118, johnsmiffy@hotmail.com 31-Aug 2 British Superbikes – Thruxton. www.britishsuperbike.com 31-Aug 2 The Yorkshire Pudding Rally, Escrick Estate, Escrick, Selby, North Yorkshire. Tel 0800 988 3199. www.mapevents.co.uk

Which was the best 250cc Honda twin?

Steve Cooper analyses the successors to Honda’s sensational 250cc CB72 twin, and ponders over which ones were the best.

W

hen Honda stormed the sales charts with its all-conquering CB72, many wondered whether the company had anything much to prove, and if so, what it could offer by way of upping the ante.

The reality was that the CB72 had been a seriously studied and considered revision or upgrade of the original C72. The evolution from C to CB had removed most of the earlier bike’s foibles to deliver a class-leading 250cc fourstroke twin which, at the time, knocked pretty much everything else into a cocked hat.

In terms of technical improvements and modernising updates, the only thing that might have been reasonably addressed was the CB72’s issue with its top two gears and the vast chasm between them.

Honda already had its eye on bigger fish, however, and by the mid-to-late 1960s was already looking at expanding its operations into cars and commercial vehicles.

In order to meet these commitments, the company looked long and hard at where the next

250 should come from, and made what is now seen as a very astute decision: the next generation of Honda twins would be designed and built to ensure they were made as cost effectively as possible while generating the maximum profit.

Although there would be no overt cheese-paring or corner cutting, the new range would not necessarily be offering the most expensive solutions to a given engineering problem.

In 1968 the new K-series twins were launched to a completely new design, yet one that would hold sway for the best part of a decade and prove to be highly influential.

The differences between the CB72 and the CB250 were obvious and profound. Although the new frame was still a tubular steel chassis, it now ran a downtube from the steering head to the engine, where it became bifurcated to form the lower engine mounts.

Even though the engine was still a singleoverhead-camshaft twin, it had been completely redesigned to reduce assembly line production time. Perhaps key to this was the use

Honda’s CB72 250cc twin was certainly a hard act to follow – and the question of whether its various successors were that much better will forever remain a matter of debate.

MADE IN JAPAN 17

July 2015 of an all-new cam box which, unlike that on the outgoing CB72, was a separate entity.

The split camshaft of the previous bike had been dropped in favour of a one-piece camshaft with a bolt-on sprocket, and finally, the rockers were mounted on eccentrics that were rotated to adjust the valve clearances.

Ease and simplicity of production were the watchwords.

The more you looked, the more you saw the deep thought and logic of Honda’s approach towards an economical production line that still delivered a quality product. The older machine had featured a twin-leading-shoe rear brake, but there had been little real justification for one really, so the CB250 had a single-leading-shoe unit instead.

Up at the bars, the combined speedo and tacho unit was ousted for a pair of separate clocks so that, if you took a tumble, you divvied up only for the unit you broke rather than both.

Elsewhere around the new bike, the accountants had been working closely with the designers who, between them, managed to reduce the dry weight by an impressive seven kilos, or just over a stone — and with power up from a quoted 24bhp to 30bhp, the new 250 was something of a flyer and was able to best the outgoing bike by 5mph, hitting a full 90mph in the process.

Period road tests seemed to be impressed with the new 250, and about the worst they could say was that the new seamed megaphone exhausts were notably louder than those of the CB72.

Given that the old bike had been aimed at a broader audience and was something of a gentleman’s performance machine, the style-conscious youth of the late 1960s probably weren’t in the least bit concerned.

Even though the engineering brief had changed, customer satisfaction remained a top priority. The bike still sported a lusty 12v electric starter that worked faultlessly whatever the weather; constant-velocity, or CV carbs, provided pretty much foolproof fuelling, and it was even possible to ride down as low as 16mph in top gear without issue.

The new bikes had received a substantial and detailed redesign in terms of looks, and just like its compatriots, Honda was styling its bikes its own way and not following anyone else’s lead.

Candy paintwork in blue, red or gold over white tank lowers and side panels transformed the previously slightly staid and traditional look, yet rubber fork gaiters and partial shrouding of the rear suspension units

Vintage Japanese Motorcycle Club

Solid and reliable, the Honda CB250 was produced in several updated guises from 1968 until 1973.

retained a modicum of old world practicality.

A decent dual seat, lowish bars and a pair of mirrors completed the package, and the bike fairly flew off the showroom floor.

For anyone who wanted a modern motorcycle and didn’t want a two-stroke, this was the machine of dreams, and provided it was serviced regularly and given fresh oil, it would provide virtually faultless transport.

The CB250 ran for five model years, from 1968 to 1973, with only minor changes to its basic design.

The K1 differed little from the original bike other than using the same candy paint scheme for all the panels. The major difference between the K1 and K2 seems to have been the use of tubular steel fork shrouds in place of the previous rubber units.

The subsequent K3 and K4 models are pretty much identical other than an additional white pinstripe on the latter’s tank but both these models wore different tanks and side panels from the first of the genre.

Using more rounded profiles, these early 1970s two-fifties are probably the Honda twins that many OBM readers will recall from their formative years. Consistently reliable, solid and ruggedly built, they launched many a riding career and in the process fostered a lifelong brand loyalty. By 1974, though, the CB250 was becoming decidedly old hat, and

looking a little dowdy and porcine against the sleek two-strokes, so with Honda still deeply enmeshed in its expansion plans, the corporate decision was made to revitalise what amounted to a seven-year-old design.

Borrowing the entire front end of the CB400 Four gave the new bike (called a G5) a whole new aspect, and the adoption of lighter side panels and new tank certainly lifted the bike’s profile.

Larger seats and softer suspension might have made sense at boardroom level, but sadly did little at street level to instil confidence from the buyers. The addition of a disc brake and a pair of rakishly-angled silencers fooled no-one.

Honda was in the doldrums and was losing sales it could ill afford to pass up on, and 1976 saw the launch of the CJ250T, which was little more than a stripped-down G5 minus the electric starter and one of its silencers.

Even if Honda had sorted out the bike’s handling, few if any were putting their hardearned cash on a bike that looked like even as if its mother had disowned it.

However the CJ was plainly and simply a stopgap, and the Big Aitch had a new bike waiting in the wings, and the new CB250T would mark another period of 250cc marketing dominance for the world’s most successful motorcycle manufacturer.

Amazingly, and against what many said would be little more than a passing fad, we’ll soon be entering the sixth decade of Japanese motorcycle importation into the UK. Despite all the hype, bar room experts, bias, bigotry, irrational comments and the like, the Japanese machines soon grabbed a significant toe-hold in the market and gradually reached ascendancy.

How you feel about this is irrelevant, even if you were or are as patriotic as John Bull himself; the fact that the Oriental bikes came out on top just as the British ones began to wither on the vine was purely happenstance, and not the work of some secret and arcane plot by a sinister organisation.

You only have to read Whatever Happened to the British Motor Cycle Industry by Bert Hopwood to see how and why the UK market was handed to those upstarts from the east.

Diabolical decisions, malignant management, poisonous politics and shabby shop stewards individually and collectively saw a once-mighty industry thrown onto the scrap heap.

Even before the great lumbering beast began to show signs of serious illness, the journalists of the day were already paying court to the refined machines from Japan. Yes, they were flawed in certain areas: undoubtedly their handling wasn’t as good and without argument the styling was often quirky. These and other issues were documented in the weekly press yet, almost without exception, those period road testers always had numerous positive comments to make.

If the latest Yamaha received some negative comments in a road test report, the importers didn’t get a lip on and pull their advertising from the publication. Those early Japanese bike stood or fell on their own individual merits without decades of competition success to back them up or influence potential buyers.

It was attributes such as reliability, cost, ease of use and a dependable spares back-up that gave the Japanese machines the leg-up they needed to become so successful.

It’s a much-vaunted fact that, after the war, our home motorcycle industry was the third largest generator of dollar bills into the UK economy. This was the level of its historical success and, theoretically, its latent potential — so what would have happened if the Japanese bike industry had not emerged onto the scene?

If the UK industry was doomed, who or what would have stepped into the breach to supply a two-wheel-hungry country with its basic commuter and recreational private transport system?

Take a look at the political climate of the period and be prepared to shudder. The Bay of Pigs debacle, the escalating Cold War, the rise of communism and a general trend towards a burgeoning concept called socialism all augured that our motorcycles would have had to have come from the Soviet Block.

If you accept that the likes of 1960s Jawas and CZs were the pinnacle of Uncle Joe’s technological advances on two wheels, we’d have had a grim old time, for anyone who experienced the vagaries of a 1973 Polish WSK will know just how bad things could have become.

The potential power vacuum left by the absence of a British motorcycle industry could have been horrendous — so give thanks for those early Japanese bikes and the fact that they did catch on!

01634 361825/07948 563280 for membership enquiries only office hours M-F.

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30

July 2015

obmservices guide -BALANCING-

-BEARINGS-

-MACHINES FOR SALE-

OB547490C

-BRAKES1971 Ducati Monza 160, MoT historic vehicle, very pretty runs well, new tyres, steel tank, you will be pleased need room in garage, £3500, immaculate, first kick and it will start. Robbie 07775-753146. Gosport, Hants.

BassetDown Balancing

D yna m ic B a la ncing S ervices

CL ASSIC M O TO R CYCL E E X PE R TS

Moto Guzzi GTS500 1939, very good condition, side inlet/overhead exhaust valve engine, photos available, might part exchange, £19,250 ono. Tel 01313 333336 or e-mail: growanleaj@btinternet.com

Honda RS250, kick-start, 1983, all original, MoT Sept, tax Oct, 65k miles, new rear shocks, f/ brake pads, Honda tool roll, Haynes manual, regularly serviced by owner, garaged, £750. Tel. 0208 6803074. Surrey.

Moto Guzzi V50 being built as Cafe Racer style, resprayed, new tyres (Avon) needs little work to complete, offers! or exchange: British bike, very rough, basketcase project. Tel. 01978 842668.

OB547025C

OB546502C

OB547436C

Est. 197 2

Un it9j, Low esd on W orks, La m bou rn e, W ood la n d s, BerkshireRG177RY T el 01488670246 Em a il: in fo@ ba s s etd ow n ba la n cin g .co.u k w w w .ba ssetd o w nba la nc ing.c o .uk

-BLAST CLEANING-

For sale BSA Goldstar DB32 Clubmans, 350cc, 1955 large alloy tank, alloy rims, rewound mag, new carb, new fork seals holders, easy starter, vgc, £11,000 ono. Tel. 01759 301753 most evenings, Pocklington, East Yorkshire. OB547633C

-BRAKES-

Honda 400/4, 1976, new battery, coils, front caliper, rear mudguard, Motad exhaust. MOT March 2016, £1500. Tel. 0151 4892465. Merseyside. OB546927C

Honda RVF400RR NC35, 1995, original bike, in excellent condition, offering stunning handling plus fantastic V5 engine, in this scaled down RC45, low mileage, sold with quantity of spares, £2995. Tel. Alan 01594 823628. For more details tel. 01594 823628. Glos.

Motorcycle trailer Freewheel UK front storage locker, stainless luggage bars, spare wheel, new tyres, LEC lights, top of the range model, £475 ono. More info 01302 340181. S Yorks.

OB546492C

OB546499C

Hondamatic CB400, 1980, new MoT, electric start, 23,800 miles, owned 12 years, well maintained, mechanically sound, good chrome and paintwork, reliable and comfortable, new battery, tyre and chain, rare automatic, £850.

Tel. 01604 882374. Northants.

MZ 1989 ETZ250, mileage is 395 genuine miles, sidecar is a Squire Dart with hood and Tonneau cover, I have just recommissioned this motorcycle and had its first tax and test since 1990, the outfit is in excellent condition, genuine reason for sale and have full history from new, £1950 or exchange for a classic solo. Tel. 01913 884084. OB547427C

OB546860C

-BLAST CLEANINGFAST TURNAROUND

Honda CB250 RSA, 1980, red, 11,500 miles, one previous owner in excellent condition, full history, original exhausts, stainless spokes, toolkit, owners manual, MoT with spares, £1500 for more details.

Tel. 01228 543782. Cumbria.

BLAST CLEANING

Vapour, Bead, Grit & Shot Blasting Specialists. Est 1964.

Aggressive and non-aggressive surface finishing

R.D. COX & SON

306 Old Whitley Wood Lane, Shinfield, Reading RG2 8QD

James Cadet, 1952, rigid, old registration book, vgc, new tyres, £1800 no offers. Tel. 01277 822170. Essex OB547627C

OB546951C

OB547451C

0118 975 0289

-CABLES-

Honda CB250 Super Dream, 1981, 17,669 miles, immaculate on Sorn, not running, no sparks, spares, log books and manual also spare bike would make good CRK kit dismantled, £1000. Tel. Bill 01884 33526.

Devon. OB547430C

1993 MZ 301 ETZ, current tax and MoT, 26k miles, replaced electronic ignition, reliable cheap motorcycling, good tyres and exhaust, my ?shopping bike, £600. Tel. 01242 870375 between 10am and 9pm. Glos.

1953, G80CS, Matchless excellent condition, inside and out, genuine UK bike, Elite Motors London, original reg, old log books, Club dating certificate, V5, matching numbers, a rare and desirable bike, one of AMC's best, any expert examination welcome, sensible offers. Tel. 01446 775459. South Wales. OB547447C

MZ ETZ 250cc with rare Ewbank sidecar, £950. MZ ES250 Trophy, £1250. MZ ES125, £495. Can-am Bombadier, £950. Velo-solex, £375. Lomax kit-car, 1300cc, £2200. Kawasaki 250cc, £500.

Montessa Cota 349cc, £1100. Tel. Bryan 01278 683124. OB547569C

MZ TS 250, 1975, 8k miles, beautiful original condition, c/w mirrors and rack, £1400. Tel. 07836 759302.

Cheshire.

OB546501C

-CARBURETTORS-

Honda CB400 Superdream, 1981, 58,000km recent brake overhaul, inc stainless hoses and Silicon fluid Motad 2-1 exhaust system, very reliable starter, ideal commuter bike, Sorned, £650. Tel. 01591 620266.

Powys Wales. OB547632C

Honda CD250U, original unrestored, 18,000 miles, excellent running order, top box, flyscreen, MoT, good chrome on rims, a thoroughly nice bike, £875. Tel. 07842 800176. afaulkner94@gmail.com OB547061C

...where service really matters

Our collection of motorcycle and light car chain fitment information is comprehensive, dating back from 1920 right up to the present day.

Sprocket blanks supplied in Dural and steel.

Dural sprockets also machined to order.

Fast mail order. Payment by credit and debit card welcomed.

Sprockets Unlimited, Claybrook Farm Cottage, 103 Bretforton Road, Badsey, Evesham, Worcestershire WR11 7XQ Callers by appointment only please.

John & Jane ‘The Chain Gang’ can be seen in their familiar red overalls at bike shows and autojumbles all over the country. Our website contains lots of useful information and also lists where our travelling chain stall will be.

Telephone/fax: 01386 831341 Email: astrosprox@btinternet.com www.sprocketsunlimited.com

OB546865C

Triumph Tiger, ex French army, in mint fully rebuilt condition, certificate to hand. More pictures available to genuine interested persons. Email: howard@bowden5437.wanado o.co.uk Tel. 01664 474894 or 0777 3881441. Near Melton Mowbray Leics.OB546942C Matchless G3LS, 1957, all numbers match those listed in original buff logbook, machine is in very good unrestored condition and engine run well.

Space needed for new project, £2795 ono. Tel. 02380 551774; 07810 392783. Southampton.

OB547016C

-CHAINS AND SPROCKETS-

T H E M OT O R C Y C L E C H A I N S P E C I A L I S T S Since 1984 we have continued to expand our huge range of drive chains to meet the needs of vintage, classic and modern motorcycle owners and now keep over 80 different chains in stock to suit camshaft, magneto, primary and final drive chain applications. Our knowledge of the best type and make of chain for the job is based on many years of experience having listened to our customers and their needs for both competition and general use.

1957 Matchless G3 350cc, good runner on road everything works, good starter, £2500, MoT exempt. 1977 MZ Supa 5, 250cc, good runner, MoT, new swinging arm fitted, owned 20 years. Tel. 01480 450730 evenings, mobile 07874 246807.

Email paul.wheeldon@btinternet.com Cambridgeshire. OB547432C

MZ Two Trophy's GS 250/2, complete, but needs full restoration, no documents, one registered Leeds 1972, nonrunners, not run for many years, £300. Tel. 01725 511131. Wilts.

Honda CL 350, 1971, tax exempt,10,500 miles only, MoT'd Oct, starts and runs perfectly, very very clean, great chrome etc, USA imp ort, reg by me £2950; a great buy and investment. Tel. Steve 07814355571. OB546933C

Morgan Aero Blackburne KNC 1925, body, chassis restored, new bevels complete, needs assembling, also 1922 Morgan G/ prix complete spare mag engine with car both original registrations and known cars £55,000 the pair, no time wasters 07931-466650.

OB547615C

Honda CX500C, 1981, blue, 43,200 miles, nice condition, new battery and MoT, engine bars, carrier, £1250. Tel. 01959 573519.

Email for pics wilengco@ntlworld.com OB546870C

Matchless 1941, ex-WD, 350cc G3L, dismantled and incomplete, suitable for restoration or conversion to trials, £2000. Tel. 01522 753100. Lincoln. OB547611C Sunbeam S8 1952, colour black, engine needs running in, restored £4260 ono. Tel. 07885 342529.

Oxfordshire. OB547617C

Moto Guzzi Convert V1000 auto trike, 32k miles, trike shop conversion, Quaife reverse gear, exc cond, s/s exhaust, altered for disabled rider, easily converted back, too much info to include, £7250. Tel. 01617666353 for more info.

Manchester. OB546953C

Nimbus 4 cylinder motorcycles from £6,200. Several for sale 1935-1958. A Nimbus will always draw a crowd wherever it's parked.

Nimbus spares stocked.

Technical info (English) on our owners group website 'NimOG': www.nimbus.veetopia.com Vintage, Veteran and Classic motorcycle bought/sold.

Interested in unusual or rare motorcycles and vee twins w.h.y. Check our trade website: www.veetopia.com email to: sales@veetopia.com tel. 07545784291. Located near Farnham, Surrey. Visits strictly by appointment only. (T). VE547305C Norton Atlas 1964, genuine low mileage, unrestored comprehensive mechanical overhaul, all receipts, supplied new as Dunstall, now fitted steel tank, goes like a rocket, lack of use forces sale, £5500 ono. Tel. 01892 870016. Kent. OB547019C

31

July 2015

obmservices guide

-MACHINES FOR SALE-

Norman Autocycle 1958 very rare featured OBM April 2015, 98cc Villiers, engine free, owned 20 years, dry stored, original, requires easy restoration, reg docs lost in move, will make suburb bike, £565 ono. Tel. 07917 007905. OB547761C

Norton Commando Roadster, 1971, Boyer ignition, metal tank, plenty of stainless, owned 34 years, £5800. Tel. 07796 947269.

B ' h a m .

E m a i l : rich4rdcarr1953@hotmail.com.

OB546862C

Norton Dominator 99 1962, In really good trim, not concurs but a very nice bike, runs and rides beautifully always well looked after and not left wanting for anything, a head turner, £6,750. For more pictures and a fuller description email tom.webster@blueyonder.co.uk reluctant and genuine reason for sale. South-East London/ Surrey 07710 381221. OB547520C

Panther M120, 1965, re-sleeved barrel, new piston, rebuilt crank rebuilt m/bearings, new magneto, new fork stanchions, bushes, seals, s/steel rims and spokes, new tyres, new brake shoes, photos on request, £6800. Tel. 07941 852831. West Sussex. OB547522C

-CHROMING-

Reducing collection 1955 BSA A10 swinging arm, £4500. 1955 Ariel VH500, £3500. 1955 Matchless M20, £3500. 1972 Triumph Bonneville, American spec, five speed, £3500 all bikes on road and in vgc. Tel. 01692 650521. Norfolk. OB547401C

-CHROMINGNorton Dominator 99, 1960, Slimline rebuild 1997, Dunlop alloys stainless mudguards, engine professionally rebuilt 2002, little use since new 12V battery, runs well, on Sorn, dry stored, £4750. Tel. 01293 886010. Sussex. OB547011C

Royal Enfield 500 twin, 1954, very good condition, more pictures available, £3800. Tel. 01326 280010. OB547514C

ALDERNEY PLATING LTD ELECTROPLATING METAL FINISHING SPECIALISTS Repairs & Restoration

‘We care as much as you do’ Norton Dominator 500cc, Model 88, £4500 ono; part exchange taken, year 1956, very reliable bike, recon dynamo, clutch, plates new, tank paint job, also pair of downpipes and silencers, good chrome, came off T110. Tel. 07743-642408. W Yorks. OB547320C

Norton Dominator 99, 1957, 59 engine, all powder coated black, much stainless, bike rebuilt 2 years ago totally, £5750 ono.

Tel. Mike 01702 552191. Essex.

OB547316C

PRESTIGE ELECTRO PLATING Specialists in polishing, nickel, chromium plating, brass plating and restoration work.

Unit 6, Cliff St Ind. Estate, Mexborough, South Yorkshire S64 9HU.

Tel: 01709 577004

For more details ring Adrian on

NSU Quickly, 1956 model, fully restored to museum quality, as close as possible to the original spec, the 55/56 Quicklys are much sought after, this machine has its original registration and related documents. If you are seeking an outstanding example of this marque ring me for further details, particulars and to discuss price. Tel. 01702 559754. Essex. OB547318C Piaggio Typhoon, 1999, 12,200 miles, one previous owner, 12 months' MoT, 125cc, 2-stroke, excellent condition, good tyres, top box, cruises 60mph, VMCC eligible, £800. Tel. 01643 821431.

Minehead, Somerset. OB547330C

Royal Enfield Bullet 500, 2009, nice condition, low miles, 9,375 miles, good tyres, recent service, fitted dual seat, tested until 26/03/16, easy bike to live with £2450. Can email more photos, tel. 01388 72007. Co Durham. OB546495C Royal Enfield 1936 Model 'S', 250cc, OHV, 4-speed, completely rebuilt, in vgc, good starter, runs very well, frequently used, £3850.

Tel. Vernon Phillips 01707 552264; 07759 391522. Herts.

OB546863C

Royal Enfield 250cc Crusader, stored in garage for eight years, needs recommissioning, maroon fibreglass tank and seat, £1250 ono, phone for details. Tel. 07547 689605. Aylesbury. OB547007C

-ENAMELLING & POWDERCOATING-

01202 744664 www.alderneyplating.co.uk

-CLOTHING-

44 IT’S OUR CLUB

July 2015

Keeping the great Cotton legacy alive Bob Smith tells the story of the Cotton Owners’ & Enthusiasts’ Club that was founded in 1992 to preserve the memory of the marque and encourage the restoration and use of Cotton motorcycles.

A

lthough its motorcycles were never produced in large quantities, Cotton still managed to become a recognised and successful marque in its 70 year production lifespan.

The prewar years, under the leadership of founder Bill Cotton, were characterised by the instantlyrecognisable triangulated frame which Cotton patented in 1914, and production began after the First World War. The excellent handling of the machines led to considerable TT success, including the maiden win by

a young Stanley Woods that launched him to international fame.

Equally famous was Woods’ fellow countryman Paddy Johnson, a top Cotton performer at the TT, Brooklands and other European venues. Other pre-war success was achieved by Eric Fernihough and Charles Mortimer when they set 12 world records in a 12 hour stint at Brooklands in 1935 on a 250 JAPengined Cotton.

The company was relaunched in the early 1950s under the stewardship of Pat Onions and Monty Denley.

The design of the Cotton badge, this one including the patent number, reflects both the triangulated frame design and the marque’s TT successes.

Stylish competition and lightweight road bikes, mostly powered by twostroke engines, saw a growing demand for the new Cotton machines.

A special relationship with Villiers, and particularly ace tuner and rider Peter Inchley, resulted in considerable competition success with the Starmaker engine, launched

by Villiers in 1962 alongside the Cotton Telstar production racer.

This was followed by the Conquest road bike, which was also offered as a ready-to-race production machine.

Club member Patrick Welch races his prewar JAP-engined Cotton – a machine he also campaigned extensively in the UK at the time — at the Classic Chimay Race Weekend in 2009.

Top solo and sidecar trials rider Colin Dommett, who worked at Cotton for some time, was the British sidecar trials champion for a number of years, although this was after he left the firm. This photo is interesting because it shows the flexibility of Cotton’s model approach. A customer asked the firm for a trials outfit built around the then newish Villiers Starmaker engine, so the bike was produced as a one-off. The deal was that Colin Dommett would deliver it to the customer in the Midlands — as long as he could ride it in the D K Mansell sidecars-only trial first!

Cotton Club chairman Daniel Welsby is in a determined mood as he competes on his Cotton Cobra scrambler. The scrambles market was always strong for Cotton, with good exports to the US and Australia to supplement the UK market.

Ray’s beautiful Beemer

Some readers from the Essex area might have noticed that we got the name of Bernard Ratcliffe’s sonin-law wrong in last month’s ‘It’s My Bike’ feature about the former Metropolitan Police Triumph Speed Twin that Bernard had bought in 1954.

His son-in-law is notable offroad rider Ray Humm, and the mistake arose because Ray got a friend of his, Andy Cox, to email the pictures of the special mobility scooter-carrying sidecar that was built for Bernard, along with a couple of pictures of Ray’s own much-travelled and stillimmaculate ‘V’-registered BMW R80.

Ray, who said Bernard was overjoyed with the feature, was so good about it all that we’re very happy to publish the accompanying picture of his beautiful Beemer.

Cotton took the first three places in the 1926 Lightweight TT, an achievement that pretty much marked the peak of the firm’s early success. Winner Paddy Johnston is shown after the race, and the man wearing glasses to his right (as you look at the picture) is Bill Cotton himself. This is one of the few pictures the club has of him.

Famously, in 1965, Derek Minter and Peter Inchley took a Cotton Conquest to third place in the Southampton MCC 500 mile race at Castle Coombe, a phenomenal performance from a 250cc machine, and beaten only by a 650 Triumph and a 650 BSA. The Cotton Owners’ and Enthusiasts’ Club was founded in 1992 to preserve the memory of the marque and to encourage the restoration and use of the Cotton motorcycles that still existed.

An annual rally has been held each year in Gloucester ever since but, like most small clubs, it has had its ups and downs.

In early 2009, a meeting to discuss the future of the club resulted in a number of new volunteers stepping forward, and the club has enjoyed a successful period in which the membership has grown to 200.

During this time, the club has been represented at many classic shows, and has also run special events including last year’s Birth of Cotton

Centenary Rally at Brooklands to remember the registering of the original triangulated frame patent.

The event attracted 120 Cottons, of which 40 were prewar – probably the largest collection of Cottons at a single event.

As well as the meetings, a network of expertise and advice has built up to support the continued restoration and use of Cotton machines, from the earliest 1920s models to the last racers built in the early 1980s.

The annual rally is held each August at the Gloucester Folk Museum, and this year’s event will take place on Saturday, August 8. The museum is situated just 100 yards from the site of the Gloucester factory, and this fact is now commemorated by a Blue Plaque at the rear of the museum in Quay Street.

If you own a Cotton or have a keen interest in this historic marque, membership enquiries are to Anthony Shields (01934) 820182 or anthonyshields1946@hotmail.co.uk

Rick Haidon’s 1925 TT replica 350cc Blackburne Cotton is seen at the top of the Test Hill at Brooklands during last year’s Birth of Cotton Centenary Rally.

Steve Parrish on stage at Donington Steve Parrish will be presenting a shortened version of his touring show before joining star guests on stage, including Freddie Spencer, on the evening of Saturday, August 8 during the Classic Motorcycle Festival at Donington Park from August 7-9.

Steve will also provide commentary during the races on the circuit’s PA system and through the Donington Park smartphone app.

The Peter Williams JPN replica demonstrator (see story on page 12)

will be one of the many fabulous bikes at the event.

Tickets for the Evening with Steve Parrish and Friends in the Senna/Fangio suite at the Donington Park Collection are now on sale at £20. The normal entrance fee for the three-day festival costs £12 per day or £25 for the long weekend, with children aged 13 or under admitted free.

For more information, go to www.donington-park.co.uk.

‘Mods and Rockers’ theme at Founder’s Day

Ray Humm’s ‘V’-registered BMW R80 still looks and runs as well as the day it was bought

One of the brightest and breeziest dates in the Vintage Motor Cycle Club’s calendar is the annual Founder’s Day show organised by Leicester’s Taverners Section, and this year’s event will take place in the grounds of Stanford Hall, near Lutterworth, Leics LE17 6DH, from 9am on Sunday, July 19.

It’s also one of the best-value events around, with admission prices of just £6 adults and £1 children.

As well as countless club stands, a ‘proper’ jumble selling lots of old bike bits with over 300 pitches available, arena events, good catering and an excellent beer tent, there will be a ‘Mods and Rockers’ theme this year.

IT’S MY BIKE 45

July 2015

I don’t pedal it – it pedals me!

Now, imagine you were an MoT examiner and were confronted by this…!

With his trousers sensibly tucked into his socks, Paul Bredael gives the Burdin an easy ‘bump start’.

M

any unusual types of motorcycle have been registered for use on UK roads, but Paul Bredael’s 1975 Burdin, which comes under the generic description of ‘derny’ for motorised bicycles built for motorpaced cycling events, surely takes the biscuit!

When Paul Bredael showed up for an MoT test with his Burdin after rebuilding his 2014 Stafford show purchase, the examiner took one look at it, shook his head, and said: “I don’t know where to start!”

No wonder – what he was looking at was a French ‘derny’ – a generic description along the same lines as ‘hoover’, for a cycle-pacing machine.

The Burdin’s 75cc Motobecane two-stroke engine is attached so high up that the cylinder head virtually touches the top frame tube, and a fuel tank is mounted beneath the handlebars.

Beneath the engine, on the lefthand side, is the cover of the centrifugal clutch, with a flywheel pulley next along, and the driving chain plunges downwards to the rear sprocket at a 45º angle.

If all this wasn’t enough for the poor old examiner, on the right-hand side of the machine is a gigantic 72tooth fixed cog, with a chain to that side of the back wheel.

Between the centrifugal clutch cover and the bottom of the downtube is a box-type exhaust whose end pipe is positioned in exactly the right place for it to spew muck all over the rider’s left foot each time it passes in front of it!

Like the original Derny pace machines, the Burdin has to be bump-started every time – but luckily a couple of steps at a walking pace is all that is required. There’s no clutch lever, of course: the centrifugal clutch (which operates in exactly the same way as on those DAF Daffodil cars of the 1960s) engages as the revs increase, and the further the throttle lever is opened, the higher the gear ratio becomes.

Once in motion, everything is totally engaged, so even if the rider were to take his feet off the pedals, that massive chainwheel would just keep turning.

If all that seems a bit complicated, it’s nothing compared to the trouble Paul had in getting the foreign import finally registered for use on UK roads.

First of all, he sent off the new registration request paperwork to the DVLA at Swansea, along with MoT and insurance documents and a dating certificate which, for a fee of £55, he obtained from the National Autocycle & Cyclemotor Club Ltd. The DVLA rejected the request on

The mechanisms behind the centrifugal clutch and pulley can be seen above the top of the massive 72-tooth ‘pedalling’ chainwheel. The chain drive going down to the rear wheel drive sprocket is at the other side of the frame.

The throttle lever on the right of the rakish handlebars allows for very carefully-measured increases in pace. Also seen are the small choke lever and the lever for the front drum brake.

With his feet revolving slowly on the pedals, Paul does a run-past on the intriguing French machine.

the grounds that, as the Burdin was a foreign import, Customs & Excise would demand a Nova certificate stating that the appropriate VAT had been paid.

When the customs people wrote back, it was a case of: “What do you want first – the good news or the bad news?”

The good news was that, as it was such an old vehicle, there would be no VAT to pay.

The bad news was that the certificate should have been sent to Customs & Excise within 10 days of the purchase of the machine. Paul had been 80 days late in doing this, and the law states that a £5 fine will be imposed for every late day thereafter!

The prospect of having to fork out £400 knocked him back a little, but after Paul appealed on the grounds that the machine had been just a box of bits bought at a British show, it was waived. Phew!

Better still, as the Burdin (which now has an age-related ‘N’ UK registration) is now almost 40 years old, there will be no road tax to pay from next year.

Restoration-wise, the glass-fibre fuel tank was badly damaged and had to be repaired, and as the white paintwork on the frame was peeling off with rust setting in beneath, he took it to cycle restoration specialist Atlantic Cycles in Bury, Greater Manchester, who stripped and repainted it.

‘Dernies’ are used to pace riders in six-day road races as well as velodrome disciplines such as keirin races (in which the ‘derny’ brings the riders up to speed and then pulls off, the race finishing in a sprint without the pacer), and generally their back mudguards curl inwards at the bottom to enable the mounting on

Talk about top-heavy… the rear of the front-mounted fuel tank is at the top left, with the box-type silencer and its muck-spreading end pipe tucked in beneath the clutch.

each side of information stickers stating the name of the race etc.

The damaged stickers on Paul’s machine read: ‘Cadres Cycles sur Mesure, Burdin, Velo Moteur Special, Bordeaux-Paris’.

The 350-mile Bordeaux-Paris race is such a famous paced event, and the stickers were such an authentic part of the Burdin’s history, that Atlantic Cycles photographed them and sent them off to a specialist who remade them. The finished result adds an interesting touch of originality to the machine.

Paul replaced the decompressor lever on the left-hand side of the handlebars along with all control cables, cleaned out the carburettor and fitted new tyres after the person in charge of the ‘derny’ bikes at Manchester Velodrome gave him a contact. A genuine French leather saddle from the correct period was found in an antique shop to replace the bright orange item that had been fitted, but there was no need for Paul to touch the engine because it still runs perfectly.

Unsurprisingly, the Burdin draws attention wherever it goes, but with so much top weight, and no clutch lever to disengage the fixed gearing, care has to be taken when cornering or performing U-turns.

Last year, Paul did half a dozen shows on the bike, and this year he’s done three or four so far, and a bit of ‘breaking news’ to finish this piece is that on the morning of Saturday, July 11, he’ll be doing a lap at the Mallory Park Bike Bonanza taking place from July 10-12.

A BIT ON THE SIDE 55

July 2015

Martellos and music at Heid o the Glen Rally During their marathon sidecar tour to raise funds for, and awareness of, the Alzheimer’s Society, Mick Payne and partner Kate call in at a friendly and relaxed Federation of Sidecar Clubs Rally in Scotland.

P

aul Ennis’s take on the Federation of Sidecar Clubs’ recent Heid o the Glen Rally at Moniaive, near Dumfries, was: “I’ve never had so much pleasure riding at 30 miles an hour.”

He attended on his beautiful and well-travelled BMW K100 RS and Martello sports saloon sidecar – one of two at the rally – and his opinion on the riding summed up perfectly the laid-back atmosphere of the whole event, which was ably managed by Norrie and Bob. The Craigdarroch Arms Hotel did us proud with camping in a field just outwith – good Scottish word, that – with music on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights and a tent pitch for £15 per unit for the whole weekend.

The raffle was held between sets of two fine bands on the Saturday evening, when Norrie and Bob wore kilts, and yours truly won a copy of

George O’Dell’s book that subsequently got soaked and rendered useless on Arran!

The local children chose a Suzuki outfit as their favourite bike – you were robbed, Paul! – but I do hope to write a full feature on his bike when I next catch up with him. As well as his lovely rig, there will also be more on Martellos at a later date.

Norrie attended on his Hinckley Rocket Three and EZS (a most impressive outfit, but he left before I had a chance to question him about it) after a marathon ride down when he finished work on the Friday.

Two Jawas were at the rally – Team Katy’s ‘Lil’ Donkey’ and Kev’s new electric-start Classic with a Velorex Tour sidecar.

Maintaining the Eastern European feel was Paul and Hazel’s Ural complete with reverse gear and parking brake – “55mph anywhere,”

When you go camping with a sidecar outfit, every available stowage area is crammed, but at least it’s easier than with a solo! This was the Heid o the Glen campsite near Moniaive, Dumfries & Galloway, on a dull and overcast day.

With the well-packed Jawa/Velorex outfit close by, Mick’s partner Kate enjoys a cuppa in the relative warmth and comfort of their tent.

The Martello boot contains a useful luggage area.

Paul remarked. It was towing a small pod caravan with Hazel riding pillion and Murphy and Diesel, their two terriers, in the chair. I don’t think petrol consumption was anything to write home about, though.

What with the usual children running about, sidecar-riding dogs and regular visits by the locals, the event was really relaxed.

One solo rider, Ron, even took along his Jack Russell, Monty. “I’ve made a little harness for him and he sits up on the tank in front of me really happily,” he said. Ron also rides a Ural, but with a long trip planned,

Shining white in the gloom, this is Paul Ennis’s much-travelled BMW K100 RS/Martello sports saloon.

he took his GS BMW instead. All in all it was a great long weekend with happy, like-minded people – a long ride up to be sure, but then so are the southern rallies for the likes of Bob and Norrie, and it doesn’t stop them from attending either.

I liked the rally badge and stickers, and the miniature wee dram remains sealed up waiting for an emergency.

If the rain in Scotland doesn’t ease up soon, it may well be broken open sooner than planned!

We’d love to get there next year, and the site has already been booked.

Another Martello sidecar was on this nicely-set-up Suzuki.

A couple called Paul and Hazel attended the rally on this Ural outfit, which pulled a small pod caravan. www.craigdarocharmshotel.co.uk www.sidecars.org