Real Classic - August 2018 by Mortons Media Group Ltd

 AJS K9  DUCATI / LAVERDA 750S  JAPAUTO HONDA!

ISSUE 172  AUGUST 2018  £3.60

Running, Riding & Re ebuilding RealClassic Motorcycles

 SUP SUPER R ROCKET REBUILD  MI-VAL PROJECT  BULLETS!

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WHAT LIES WITHIN

72 TRIUMPH MÉTISSE........................................6

PANTHER GRAND SPORTS .........................54

You know those itches you just have to scratch, the ones which have been around for ages, never quite going away? Odgie investigates Project X, which scratches two such itches at once…

Is this the most mighty Pussy of them all? Seems unlikely, but it’s really interesting, claims Frank Westworth

TWO ITALIAN 750s ......................................26

Take two Italian twins, both 750s, but built a quarter century apart and with their cylinders in different configurations. How do they compare? Owner Stu Thomson shares his hands-on experience… TWO BULLETS! ............................................34

Paul Myers liked his Indian-built Bullet so much that he bought another one, an original Enfield 350. So now he has a brace of Bullets, separated by a span of four decades… JAPAUTO HONDA........................................42

This is a time for anniversaries in the twowheeled world. Among them is the halfcentury of Honda’s world-changing four. Alan Cathcart rides one … with a difference

REALCLASSIC 172; PUBLISHED IN AUGUST 2018

RC REGULARS THE CONTENTS PAGE .................................. 3

We’ve always enjoyed the What Lies Within joke. 172 issues and counting! WE’VE GOT MAIL! ......................................14

Every month brings a fresh collection of remarkable reading from The Reader. Keep it coming!

BSA B44 VICTOR .........................................64

EVENTS ......................................................78

That Frank Melling is a big fan (big, big fan) of Triumph’s Adventurer. But he could be lured towards one specific Small Heath street-scrambler, a B44 with world class credentials…

It’s being a great riding summer so far. Long may it continue READERS’FREE ADS ..................................80

What an assortment. Even TP fancied one of them, although that may have been choc overload…

AJS K9 .........................................................72

Ever been tempted to try a really old bike? No, not just a pre-war machine; a proper vintage motorcycle. Paul Miles sets his sights on the Banbury Run, which means he needs to learn to ride all over again…

PUB TALK .................................................102

In June, the world comes to Warwickshire and Northamptonshire, so PUB does not have to go far for amusement.

SUPER ROCKET REBUILD............................88

TALES FROM THE SHED ...........................108

A tale of two Beezers. Well… mostly about one of them. Rob Davies writes…

Excuses, excuses. Frank Westworth’s been making excuses for doing No Work At All…

MI-VAL PROJECT.........................................96

Stu Thomson plainly enjoys a challenge. Not content with restoring a Gilera Giubileo to the road, he’s now tackled something even less usual – at least in the UK. And here’s how…

TURNTO

You won’t find RealClassic on the shelves in UK newsagents. If you want to enjoy regular RC reading then take out a subscription and join us in the RealClassic Club.That way, each issue costs just £2.50. Bargain!

P114

TODAY & SAVE

WHO’S DONE WHAT REALCLASSIC rumbled into print this month, with Rowena Hoseason and Frank Westworth of The Cosmic Bike Co Ltd making potato-potato sound effects. Page design and clever production stuff were handled by Mike Baumber, Libby Fincham, Kelvin Clements and the team at Horncastle. Thanks to all the invisible admin staff for keeping the wheels turning, too COVER IMAGE by Odgie Himself. And it’s certainly eye-catching! You’ll find more classic bikes, book reviews and event info at www.Real-Classic.co.uk TRADE ADVERTISERS for the magazine or website should call Helen Martin on 01507 529574, email hrmartin@mortons.co.uk EDITORIAL ENQUIRIES should be sent to Frank@ RealClassic.net or to PO Box 66, Bude EX23 9ZX. Please include an SAE if you want something returned or a personal reply SUBSCRIPTION INFO is on pg114. Call 01507 529529 to subscribe or renew or buy back issues SUBS QUERIES, late deliveries, or changes of address should be directed to 01507 529529, or email subscriptions@realclassic.net ALL MATERIAL in RealClassic is copyright its authors, so please contact us before reproducing anything. RealClassic is printed by William Gibbons & Sons of Wolverhampton. Our ISSN is 1742-2345. THIS MONTH we’ve been reading some speculative fiction about what might happen to future society on an overpopulated planet, in CONTRACEPTION by Degen Hill and THE COST OF LIVING by Marla L Anderson; definitely dystopian. HANNIBAL by Thomas Harris was far better second time around, and RETRIBUTION by Stuart M Kaminsky kicked off a new American gumshoe series. Meanwhile, we’ve a 100% recommend for RETURN TO HIROSHIMA by Bob Van Laerhoven, which is a remarkable tale set where you think it might be and includes a great plot, characters and remarkable Japaneseness from a non-Japanese author. Also CEREMONY and A SAVAGE PLACE, by Robert B Parker, another pair of amusing private dick stories set in the 70s. MEANWHILE AT THE MOVIES… reading Hannibal meant we had to watch the movie too, so a special Saturday night double-bill started with RED DRAGON, which was surprisingly superb. Followed that with a midweek triple-header of PITCH BLACK, CHRONICLES and RIDDICK and pretty much loved every minute, demonstrating our mature tastes in cinematic excellence. Oh, and GRIMM is flat-out fab. True that. RealClassic is published monthly by MMG Ltd, PO Box 99, Horncastle, LN9 6LZ, UK. USA SUBSCRIPTIONS are $58 per year from Motorsport Publications LLC, 7164 Cty Rd N #441, Bancroft WI. 54921. Postmaster: Send USA address changes to RealClassic, Motorsport Publications LLC, 715-572-4595 chris@classicbikebooks.com

FROM THE FRONT

njoyed several excellent conversations while visiting a grand show in Wales recently – more about it in this month’s ‘Shed’. One of them in particular has stuck to my remaining brain cell. ‘Do you,’ asked a reader clutching a bottle of lukewarm but welcome water, ‘Do you do research when you’re writing a story?’ Carefully ignoring the potential insult (‘Do my stories read as though I don’t research them?’) or flattering smugness (‘Wows; you think I know everything about all bikes?’), I gratefully accepted the water, drank it, and considered. The sun was too hot for much else. Of course I do research. Not as much as Rowena does, because she is of course youthfully diligent in all things, but more than I once did. At one time I wrote so much about 750 Triumph twins that I could probably list whole pages of facts about them, but not any more. These days I write less, as you have hopefully not noticed, and need to research more than I did. Which is often comic in a lateral kind of way. Such as, very often I discover that ‘facts’ I’ve known for a very long time aren’t actually facts at all. In fact, they’re made up somehow. This isn’t revisionism, not at all. It’s more that I’ve forgotten what I once knew and have instead remembered an inaccuracy I’ve either been told or have read somewhere. Which happens a lot. A lot more than it did. I think. Further inside this predictably unpredictable issue you’ll find a story about a Panther. As you may read, my very first motorcycle was also a Panther, a model similar but not identical to this one. So although I knew all about this breed of Yorkshire puddings I thought I’d better read up on it; better do a day’s research before sitting down with quill and parchment to write the story. It’s just as well that I did, too. The first discovery was how little actual history of these unusual machines is available online. Online is easier than staggering out of my comfy chair and rooting through the dusty book and magazine stacks to find real written history. The next discovery was that

quite a lot of the online material is incorrect. I have no idea why this is, why those who have the knowledge don’t correct those who don’t. But it’s a little annoying, especially when we consider that enthusiasts may make buying or selling decisions based around the stuff out there in the interlimbo. So I dug out favourite research works: a couple of old books including the Pitman Book of the Panther, a monster work on British 2-strokes and another about Villiers engines. Then I sat down with the works of Barry M Jones and Steve Wilson, who mostly agree and are both expert and knowledgeable. An entire day vanished, and it was an entirely enjoyable day, too. At the end of it, I felt capable of actually writing a story in which I could be confident that mistakes had been held to a minimum. Which is a good thing. Loads of preconceptions had vanished. I’d gained much more of an understanding of one of the more delightfully eccentric British bike builders, how they worked and how they fit into their home town, Cleckheaton. And of course I had enough jotted down Remarkable Facts to fill an entire magazine, never mind a single feature. Research? I recommend it. Tremendous fun. And an excuse to stay dry through a wet day… Ride safely Frank Westworth Frank@realclassic.net

THE NEXT ISSUE

RC173 WILL BE PUBLISHED ON SEPTEMBER 3rd, AND SHOULD REACH UK SUBSCRIBERS BY SEPTEMBER 7th

THE

FACTOR You know those itches you just have to scratch, the ones which have been around for ages, never quite going away? Odgie investigates Project X, which scratches two such itches at once… Photos by Odgie Himself

ige is a consummate Triumph man. I couldn’t tell you how many he’s owned and built over the last forty years or even how many he has right now. There always seems to be another one on the go. Mostly they are of some sort of custom variety, Nige having been a continuous member of the National Chopper Club since its inception in 1973, but don’t let that put you off. His projects these days tend to be more rideable than radical. Indeed, as the wheel turns full circle, the Triumph factory themselves now build bikes which look like the ones me and Nige have been building all our lives. So this is far from being a standard, stock, original Triumph (and if it was, I’d have very little interest in reporting on it). But it is a RealClassic, taking as it does two iconic motorcycling elements, the unit 750 motor and the legendary Métisse frame. So how did it come about then? ‘Well,’ says Nige, ‘for one thing, I always remember our kid having a Rickman. That was back when it cost just a 100 quid for the complete bike, and the frame was more green oxidised than nickel. But these things stay with you all your life, so inside my head for all this time I’ve always wondered what it would

6 I AUGUST 2018

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RICKMAN MÃ&#x2030;TISSE

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AUGUST 2018 I 7

Triumph’s excellent twin engine, in one of the best handling frames around, looking good together

A familiar engine, and a fairly familiar frame. Somewhat unusual surroundings, however

Rickman frames are all about quality, and their rep is well deserved. Admire the welds on this

It is impossible to have too much oil filtration. Triumph engine’s lube is extra-cleaned by this Hide-de-hi in-line filter

8 I AUGUST 2018

be like to own a decent one. And you get to a stage when you think that if I don’t do this now, then when am I ever going to do it? And then I ordered a frame.’ Ordering a Métisse frame is bit of a journey into the unknown in itself. I don’t want to make this sound too disparaging, because they’re lovely people, but you get a form to say what requirements you specify, you fill it in and send it back, then you sort of get whatever they want to send you. So Nige’s frame had the brake pedal on the left as requested, but the mounts for the master cylinder on the right. And a headstock for the earlier forks rather than the later ones ordered. The whole experience has that quirky ‘cottage industry’ feel to it, an adventure akin to buying a Morgan or a TVR. Of course, all that pales and is (mostly) forgiven when you drink in the exquisite welding and the flawless nickel plating. Onto the project proper then. With so much Triumph history, Nige wasn’t short of spare parts around him to start work with – his workshop is a veritable treasure trove. The rear mudguard is a 1960s pre-oilin-frame original with all the holes welded up. The wheels are from a T140D, another feature bike for a future issue which grew some rare CMA ones. The forks are off the same late D-model, and the engine was pulled from the Long Blue Bike, a radical 1970s-style chopper Nige built to celebrate the NCC’s 40th anniversary. The Métisse motor followed Nige’s fairly standard build practice; it’s pretty much a stock Tiger 750 twin really. Single carb for userfriendliness and stable tuning, while intelligent additions include a Hayward clutch and belt drive, Morgo oil pump and Boyer electrics. It’s a reliable mile-munching combination, and indeed Nige’s Triumphs all have to earn their keep. 500 mile round trips carrying camping gear (note the neat little rack on the back mudguard) are the norm because he attends

various events around the country organised by the NCC every Bank Holiday. Fast motorway journeys at the legal limit (and beyond) require well-built and sorted engines, and indeed good brakes too. At the rear the stock T140D set-up has a reversed mount – normally the caliper sits on the top, but if you press the bush out of the alloy mount and refit it from the opposite side, then you can run the caliper at the bottom. It tidies everything up at the rear without resorting to expensive aftermarket parts. Some expensive aftermarket parts were employed at the front, though, at least in part. The Hyde disc and caliper mount went into

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RICKMAN MÉTISSE

Yep, another common-or-garden Triumph Métisse like all the others. Or maybe not quite…

place, although the caliper itself was one half of the pair of Lockheeds originally fitted on Nige’s twin disc Trident (in this case a rightside one fitted on the left, hence the bleed nipple on the bottom, as the eagle-eyed will no doubt have noticed already...). If you think I’m making the build sound easy, just a collection of parts bolted together, then I’m doing Nige a great disservice. Take a look at those rear engine plates. The ones that come with the frame kit are only 5mm thick. Fine if you only want to hold the engine in, not so fine if you want to hang the footrests off them. So Nige set to and copied them in half-inch thick aluminium – no mean feat in

itself. And constructing a rear brake linkage when the master cylinder mounts were on the wrong side wasn’t child’s play either – even if he could use the redundant mounts to locate the in-line oil filter. Fitting the Sportster style tank without cutting off the Métisse mounting bolt was a challenge too. In the end Nige adopted the bolt itself, but the resulting fiddle to get down the tunnel to fit the nut isn’t ideal, and will probably be revisited now the bike is up and running. Other issues cropped up as well. Nige managed to fit the late-model forks into the early-style headstock, but Métisse frames have

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no provision for steering lock stops – unless you count the fork legs hitting the frame tubes as provision. It was here that some styling came into play. Since metal to metal contact wasn’t an option, and some sort of rubber buffering was required, Nige decided on making a feature of it. He covered the exposed upper legs with blue Samco, normally found on modern turbo systems as under-bonnet bling for hot hatches. The striking azure tone could then be applied selectively throughout the bike. Unfortunately Samco normally only do piping for air and water, not oil and fuel, but ever helpful, once Nige had explained what he was up to, they made some new lines

AUGUST 2018 I 9

One key to good handling is a stout mounting for the swinging arm. As seen here. Rear chain is adjusted by rotating the eccentric swinging arm spindle

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Front end is Triumph, complete with cast wheels from a T140D. Just the one disc â&#x20AC;Ś so far

There may not be a tank-top rack, but there is this, which is handy enough

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RICKMAN MÉTISSE

Hyde fork brace looks neat. Never sure whether they actually do anything except look neat, however

The view from above is certainly interesting. Surely the clutch cable should be blue to match the brake hydraulics?

One more blue detail

especially for the project. With blue wrap on the hydraulic brake hoses to match, there was a colour scheme coming together. The nickel obviously needed no preparation or finishing, while Tillinges from Longton did the chrome powder coating on the yokes, electrics box, head steady and minor brackets. Now all it needed was some paintwork. Which brings us back to the theme of this story: long-term unfulfilled ambitions. As well as a vague hankering for a Métisse, Nige had always harked after a Gulf colour scheme. We are both of an age when we witnessed the iconic paintwork in its glorious heyday – indeed, who could forget the fuel company be-liveried and all-conquering Ford GT40s and Porsche 917s? – and the passing years haven’t dulled its appeal. So like the Métisse frame, as Nige says, ‘I guess the time was just right,’ and the Gulf paintwork was duly applied, by talented local painter Alan Deaves. The seat, incidentally, was far more random. Nige’s mate Des originally had it made for his Sunbeam, but when he replaced it with a more traditional style he handed the old one to Nige, ‘Here, put this on Project X.’ Ah yes, Project X. The Métisse was built somewhat in secret. Nige’s working days are spent at his company D&N Engineering, which is where he normally also builds his own bikes. But this time he built Project X from home, away from the if not prying then certainly overseeing eyes of his customers. ‘It was just nice to do something away from the public gaze, so no-one knew about it, or kept asking me how it was going all the time. It was also a bit of a test for myself I suppose,’

he says, ‘I wanted to see if I could build it that way, using drawings and measurements and making stuff at work then taking it home and seeing if it still fitted. When you have all the equipment and tools around you it’s easy to take it for granted. It keeps your measuring skills up to scratch if the bike and the machinery are in two different places.’ It also meant that progress wasn’t quite as rapid as it might have been, resulting in the bike being finished just three days before the inaugural Bank Holiday run. Day One saw the MoT passed with no real problems, but putting a few miles on before re-torquing the head on Day Two saw the primary belt shred itself. No known reason either; I’ve run the same primary belt on my Triumph for over 20 years now. Much flummoxing took place, with no obvious (or even obscure) diagnostic conclusions. In the end it was Day Three so a new belt simply went on the bike and Nige and Deb, his missus, tentatively set off in hope. The resultant 500 mile round trip demonstrated that the Métisse was completely fault-free. The torrential downpour on the way back poured

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AUGUST 2018 I 11

Rear stoppage is handled by a Grimeca race brake – mounted upside-down

Neat mounting for the left-side rear brake, and the under-seat area has a decidedly blue theme

enough rain to drop Deb’s Triumph onto one cylinder, while the Métisse just kept soldiering away without missing a beat. So with a successful debut under its belt (ahem), the Métisse makes a fine addition to Nige’s somewhat expanding Triumph stable. It’s an unusual take on the genre too, I’ve never seen a Métisse handled quite this way. Yet all the elements – classic engine, classic frame, classic paint job – combine effectively with the more custom aspects of tank and seat styles to produce a whole that is aesthetically and pleasantly unique. The more you look at it, the more it grows on you, in a sort of ‘familiar but different’ way. It’s an art as well as a skill to set off down a

well-worn path but arrive at a more singular destination, and that’s where over 40 years of bike building experience come into play, to create your very own distinctive classic creations. So is it finished? Not exactly, Nige doesn’t rest on his laurels. The two-into-one exhaust was a last minute addition (‘It looks like stainless, but it’s actually just ancient chrome’) to get the bike up and running, and something a little more one-off is in the pipeline when Nige gets time and some stainless bends to play with. But even if it is more or less done, there’s no rest for the inveterate builder. There is a good reason why Nige’s Trident didn’t need its pair of front discs any longer – watch this space... Twin Triumph twins. Bother of them well modified!

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AUGUST 2018 I 13

RC readers write, rant and rattle on...

Summat to say? Send your comments, hints, tips, tales of woe and derring-don’t to: RCHQ@RealClassic.net

COMMUTER CLASSICS

Last month, I asked if anyone still regularly rode to work on a 30 year-old motorcycle. Turns out that quite a few RC riders do just that – and here they are. Any more? Rowena

I am one of that exclusive brethren – my Honda 350S is a regular sight to the Buckinghamshire commuters as I filter gently past. And it’s 30 years old, almost to the week. Jonathan Pagden, member

I use a 1990 Moto Guzzi SP3 and a 1981 Guzzi Monza daily. Stewart Ellinson, member

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LETTERS

I commute daily on a 1989 Honda Bros, come rain or shine or snow. Sometimes go in to work on a Triumph as a treat, which makes me appreciate the Honda to be honest, what with the London traffic! Michael Pilch, member I use my 1991 CBR1000F as a winter bike. Michael Cutts, member

I use my 1987 Harris T140V Bonneville… when it’s all working! Alan MacLennan, member

A CLOSE SHAVE! My neighbour Frank decided to take part in the village scarecrow display using his Triumph motorcycle, dressed up as a Wallace and Gromit sidecar outfit with matching rocket and slab of fake cheese. It went down well with the local children, and I remarked to him; ‘Cracking display, Gromit.’ Iain Houghton, member 2124 The fake cheese went down well with the children? I’m all confused… Frank W

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AUGUST 2018 I 15

A LITTLE ITALIAN

OLD BIKES FOR NEW RIDERS

As I speak a little Italian, today’s lesson is to translate the sales slogan for the Mi-Val 125 GS which appeared in RC171. The slogan is; ‘brillante e veloce, la moto dei giovani’. Does that translate to: - brilliant and quick, the motor cycle for young people, or - brilliant and quick, John’s motor cycle? I think Giovanni might know the answer.

Rowena’s idea in Members’ Enclosure of a list of oldie bikes for oldies to ride is interesting. I’m in that bracket. I should know which bikes I would like, and in fact I do know what bikes I like, but they have all got a kickstarter fitted to them. Bikes, both racing and road, were my hobby and my business. Along with my partner, we built our own race bikes, and then for our working lives we did the same for our customers for track and road use. Any ideas for me, before I buy a not very British bike that’s not very oldie and wish I hadn’t? I’m 76 years old, very fit, even ride mountain bikes, but have a kickstart-shy right knee.

Peter Hatfield, member 11,055

Michael Madell, member

SUBSCRIBER

Depending on how physically big you are, the obvious old British bike that’ll start on the button is the inevitable 750 Bonneville: big and beefy but decent brakes, and easy to come by; plenty of choice of year, condition

and style. A Mk3 Commando with a modern electric start system is the alternative, but it’ll cost twice as much as the T140. If you want something more compact, then how about a Norton Electra? They normally need a minor electrical overhaul to get reliable starting, but the electrical upgrades are available. The Electra is rather more exclusive than a Bonnie, but it’s also lighter and lower, with good brakes and steering from the Norton chassis. Alternatively, how about a Devon-built Harris Matchless G80? It uses the more modern air-cooled Rotax engine which is more free-revving than the trad Brit single. Very nice bikes; we’ve owned a couple. Avoid the kickstart-only version and find an electric start machine. And finally, it’s got to be said: Enfield Bullet! We’ve had plenty of other suggestions from RC readers – look out for them appearing sometime soon. And feel free to send more recommendations for the ideal ‘first classic bike.’ Rowena

prizes This month’s winners in our subscriber prize draw are DAVID BRENNAN and P BEBB. Congrats, chaps. Your surprise RC prizes are on their way to you! Also, congrats to subscribers Roman Hawelko, William Butler, Ron Cartwright, Mike Cambray and Andrew Smith who were the winners of our bumper book giveaway. Commiserations to everyone else – but keep checking your subscriber newsletter each month, because we have more giveaways and discounts lined up for you. Our monthly winners are drawn randomly from all current subscribers: it’s our way of saying an additional ‘thanks’ for supporting the magazine. So if you’re not already an RC subscriber – sign up online or turn to the back of the magazine. It could be your turn next time!

16 I AUGUST 2018

BULLET BOMBSHELL Following on from the story of my Enfield Bullet in RC170, I (sadly) have discovered what happens when you have a totally brain dead moment and… fill the petrol tank with 91 octane instead of the 98 octane that the high compression motor requires, and then go for a nice ride in the countryside. You can see the result in these photos. I’m gut shot

but never mind, I feel a follow-up story could be in the offing when the Enfield’s back on the road. Damien Hammond, member

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Ouch! Your nice ride must have been fairly rapid… Frank W

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AUGUST 2018 I 17

FIRST BRITISH BIKE The most striking difference between old British bikes and old Japanese and German bikes is that old British bikes are typically held together with the wrong fasteners in the wrong order. Potentially dangerously wrong. I base this on my current experience, and things Frank mentions in passing in his shed articles; things that only now assume their true significance as I get to grips with my own first British machine, a Matchless G12. People seem to explain this by saying ‘Oh well, there was a time when these bikes were worth very little, so got fixed with whatever came to hand,’ but I think there must be something else going on to explain the ritual our ancestors went through: take a bike that’s not particularly old (as viewed from here in the distant future); take it completely to pieces, store the pieces, lose all the fasteners (and possibly the gearbox); wait 10 to 20 years, loosely reassemble with nuts and bolts from an abandoned washing machine (maybe including the odd wood screw); declare the bike restored and a fine example of British engineering. Which is the very last thing that it is – it’s an oily, unreliable, unpleasant-riding death trap which seems to show that British bikes were crap. This is a shame, because I can just about peer through the layers of mechanical abuse to see a well-engineered machine made from some nice materials. There are signs it was a very effective vehicle before a

succession of numpties got to it, but I have to squint pretty hard to see that. Maybe old British bikes were actually quite good, when they were new bikes. Almost all bikes go through a period of near worthlessness. I bought my R80 and R100 for about £500 apiece. The R80 was sodden with rust but never seems to have been apart. The R100 was incredibly neglected but all the right parts were there, in the right order. I’ve also bought a 2000-vintage Triumph Sprint for £600. The fairing is a jigsaw but the bike’s fasteners look untouched. I’ve bought a Yamaha Thundercat for £200 (how much is that in old money? 20p?). All the rubber parts have gone mouldy, but everything is there. Why is it that ritual dismemberment was reserved for British bikes? Maybe it isn’t the period of cheapness alone, maybe it’s the period of time that it occurred in. During WW2, lots of people were trained to use, repair and make machinery, and this generation put these skills to good use after the war building sturdy sheds in which they undertook competent repairs of motorcycles. I believe this surfeit of engineering knowledge in the general population is why the model engineering scene grew at this time as well. They had such a background knowledge of engineering that they didn’t need step-bystep manuals ‘for dummies’, so such things were never produced.

That was all fine until that generation had kids and this next generation, despite lacking the engineering experience, thought ‘dad mends his own bike, and mum built Lancaster bombers, so it can’t be that hard. I’ll just...’ But while taking things apart is easy, and appears to be progress, putting things back together is actually quite hard. Hence bits of bike in boxes for years, fasteners evaporating into the ether. I don’t think such an unwarranted assumption of intuitive engineering ability has infected the wider population for many decades now, so more recent bikes largely escape the fate of old British ones. A fate that has sent reverberations down one century and into the next one and is still confounding people like me. My Matchless doesn’t even have the right clutch. Duncan Cooper Thanks for this, Duncan. There is a reason why bikes which are genuinely ‘unrestored and original’ now fetch such elevated prices. The thing may well be completely clapped, but if it’s still got all its original bits in their original places it’s a lot easier prospect than a bodged horror story. And AMC twins are a good bet. AMC Classic Spares can supply both excellent parts and in-depth knowledge. Do not mention my name… Frank W

T IS FOR TRIUMPH I have a good friend who owns the only Triumph TSS in Finland. He asked me if I knew what ‘TSS’ stood for, and I had no idea. I wouldn’t be surprised if you know what the letters stand for on this eight-valve Trumpet twin. Would you like to share that knowledge? David Bullivant, member 1638 We’d no idea at RCHQ. Well… we had several ideas, but no facts. So we asked the wise collection of noted experts who infest the RC Facebook page. No one there knew, either. Not for certain. However… Triumph Sports Special or Triumph Super Sports were the favourites. That’s a bit dull… Frank W

18 I AUGUST 2018

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AUGUST 2018 I 19

BUILDING BETTER BARS In the late 1960s and 70s, when I rode a Matchless Métisse, the originators of the now famous Renthal business were fellow members of the Manchester 17 Motorcycle Club. Andrew RENshaw and Harry RosenTHAL collared me, to convince me to use their special handlebars. These handlebars were manufactured from an aluminium alloy called duralumin, which was used in tubing to support aero engines in WW2. As an aircraft engineer with Rolls-Royce and an ex-aircraft artificer in the Fleet Air Arm, I had experience of duralumin. Aluminium is too soft in itself, but the addition of manganese, magnesium, silicon and other materials made it much harder. It was used in many applications – tubing, castings and sheet material for aircraft skins and cladding. However, when it was subjected to stresses – such as being clamped at the forks on a motorcycle – would in time fracture. I had experience of this when carrying out wing-

folding tests on a Sea Vixen aircraft. A large duralumin casting fractured part way through the test, luckily without too much damage. As a sheet material it was difficult, and it had to be consistently annealed to work on it. With the pressure from Andrew and Harry to use their product, I consulted the RR design dept at Woodford to get official knowledge about the product. Apparently ‘half the gauge of steel is twice the strength of twice the gauge in duralumin’. When I revealed this technical info to Andrew and Harry they were astounded. I said I wouldn’t reveal my findings, and have not done so until now – and the info is of course of no consequence today. I recall several instances of handlebars breaking off scrambles bikes, and one of their sales spiels was that the flexibility of them was beneficial when racing. They did learn from their problems and introduced bracing struts. They subsequently had a very

successful company. Harry is now 69 and the secretary of the Manchester 17 Motorcycle Club. Vian Curtis, member 4244 Thanks for that, Vian. Whenever I replace bars, I tend to use Renthals. Always well made and well-finished. There might be a pic of a set on Rowena’s B25SS nearby. Frank W

WATN?

I wonder how I can find out if my black and gold 1958 Thunderbird survives. It was pretty standard apart from dropped bars. I sold it, with a rebuilt motor, to a gentleman from Bournemouth in the 1960s before going overseas. I still have the original Triumph key fob (and various gaskets!), together with my goggles and gauntlets. Ian Bickerton, Australia We checked on the driver licensing site (https:// vehicleenquiry.service.gov.uk/ConfirmVehicle) for the registration LTK 188 but there was no info, unfortunately. If an RC reader knows where this bike is now, feel free to get in touch and we’ll pass the info along to Ian. Rowena

20 I AUGUST 2018

DO YOU OWN THIS DOUGLAS? Would the current owner of this Douglas Mark V, registration CGL 717, like to get in touch? The machine’s original buff logbooks have come to light – found by an earlier owner during a clear-out – and are being offered FOC to the current owner. I know that if the machine belonged to me I would be delighted to add to the machine’s early history and I do not want this offer to be missed by the current owner. I can be contacted on 01268 769 451 / douglasregistrar@talktalk.net Len Boydell, Registrar for the London Douglas MCC

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MORE MIVAL Great story by Stu Thomson on his Mi-Val rebuild. Does anyone know where I can get decals for mine? Classic transfers and VMCC can’t help. Here’s mine, and two of its cousins, bought at auction about three years ago for about £750 each!

Another great issue. I did wince a bit when Stu Thomson chamfered the gas ports on his Mi-Val. Doing so may affect the piston port timing which can be crucially affected by dabbling with port edges. Hopefully the saga ends happily with no ill effect.

David Boarer, member

Derek Reynolds, member 10,279

CAFÉ CULTURE The Yorkshire branch of the NOC assembled for a ride out to the Peak District at Jem’s Pit Stop Diner. I’d never heard of it, regarding any area south of Bradford as pretty dubious. But Jem’s, located on the Bradford to Dewsbury road at Batley (WF17 8ND), is indeed a real gem. Jem’s Speed Shop is newly built with Jem’s Pit Stop inside. It opens seven days a week, serving breakfasts all day, main meals, burgers,

pizza and desserts. I’m not man enough for the largest breakfast but several were. Inside the shop there’s even a barber’s, a micro-brewery and a tattooist, alongside two very large motorcycle showrooms… and a 1999 Kawasaki W650 which, at £3900, looked even more tempting than the breakfast! Peter Holland, member

CLIMB EVERY MOUNTAIN The Enfield Himalayan in RC171 looks and sounds good but those panniers are mounted far too high, presumably dictated by the position of the silencer. They really need to be down near the wheel spindle, like in the good old days; loading a case of claret into one of those (as one does) would certainly make for some interesting handling. Also, is it just me, but it appears to have a perfectly good front mudguard mounted on the fork sliders, then another half of a spare one a bit further up. Why? Fashion? And finally, the absolutely lovely restored and coveted Commando will prove hard to start… as in all the pictures both plug caps are off. Keep up the sterling work chaps! Garron Clark-Darby, member 11,711 Baffled… Frank W

22 I AUGUST 2018

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Sounds good to me… Frank W

THE BEAULIEU SALE

Saturday 1 September 2018 The International Beaulieu Autojumble The National Motor Museum

COMPLIMENTARY AUCTION APPRAISAL To discuss any aspect of selling or buying collectors motorcycles at auction, please contact the London oﬃce, your nearest specialist or visit bonhams.com/motorcycles to submit a complimentary auction appraisal request.

Closing date for entries Friday 3 August

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FINAL CALL FOR ENTRIES CONSIGN TODAY

1915 INDIAN 7HP BIG TWIN COMBINATION £16,000 - 18,000 *

1918 BSA 557CC MODEL K £5,000 - 7,000 *

One push mile from new and single ownership 1978 HONDA CB 400F £5,000 - 6,000 *

Same family ownership for over 40 years 1950 VINCENT 498CC COMET £10,000 - 12,000 *

NETWORK OF SPECIALISTS

Lincs & East Anglia +44 (0) 1507 481 890 david.hawtin@bonhams.com

Hampshire & Dorset +44 (0) 1794 518 a433 mike.jackson@bonhams.com

Lancs, Yorks, N. Midlands, N. Counties & Scotland +44 (0) 1457 872 788 mark.garside@bonhams.com

Herts, Beds, Bucks, Oxon & S. Midlands +44 (0) 1494 758 838 martin.heckscher@bonhams.com

Wiltshire, Somerset & Devon +44 (0) 1380 816 483 greg.pullen@bonhams.com

Lancashire +44 (0) 1204 844 884 alan.whitehead@bonhams.com

Home Counties +44 (0) 127 629 413 david.hancock@bonhams.com

Devon, Cornwall & Somerset +44 (0) 1872 250 170 jonathan.vickers@bonhams.com

Shropshire, Glos & Wales +44 (0) 1299 270 642 jim.reynolds@bonhams.com

Home Counties +44 (0) 20 8302 7627 colin.seeley@bonhams.com

Bonhams Co-Chairman +44 (0) 20 7468 8238 malcolm.barber@bonhams.com

bonhams.com/motorcycles @bonhamsmotoring

* For details of the charges payable in addition to the ﬁnal hammer price, please visit bonhams.com/buyersguide

COMPLIMENTARY AUCTION APPRAISAL To discuss any aspect of selling or buying collectors motorcycles at auction, please contact the London oﬃce, your nearest specialist, or visit bonhams.com/motorcycles to submit a complimentary auction appraisal request.

THE AUTUMN STAFFORD SALE

Saturday 13 & Sunday 14 October 2018 The 25th Carole Nash Classic Motorcycle Mechanics Show

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FINAL CALL FOR ENTRIES CONSIGN TODAY

1933 BROUGH SUPERIOR 981CC SS100 PROJECT £140,000 - 180,000 *

C.1930 HENDERSON MODEL KJ STREAMLINE FOUR £25,000 - 35,000 *

C.1919 HENDERSON 1147CC MODEL Z FOUR £25,000 - 30,000 *

1914 INDIAN 7HP POWER PLUS £18,000 - 22,000 *

C.1923 NUT 498CC £17,000 - 20,000 *

1904 ARIEL 500CC £12,000 - 18,000 *

C.1930 RALEIGH £5,000 - 7,000 *

1924 SCOTT 500CC SQUIRREL £5,000 - 8,000 *

C.1925 AJS 350CC S.V. £5,000 - 7,000 *

NETWORK OF SPECIALISTS Lancs, Yorks, N. Midlands, N. Counties & Scotland +44 (0) 1457 872 788 mark.garside@bonhams.com

Shropshire, Glos & Wales +44 (0) 1299 270 642 jim.reynolds@bonhams.com

Home Counties +44 (0) 127 629 413 david.hancock@bonhams.com

Wiltshire, Somerset & Devon +44 (0) 1380 816 483 greg.pullen@bonhams.com

Lincs & East Anglia +44 (0) 1507 481 890 david.hawtin@bonhams.com

Home Counties +44 (0) 20 8302 7627 colin.seeley@bonhams.com

Devon, Cornwall & Somerset +44 (0) 1872 250 170 jonathan.vickers@bonhams.com

Lancashire +44 (0) 1204 844 884 alan.whitehead@bonhams.com

Herts, Beds, Bucks, Oxon & S. Midlands +44 (0) 1494 758 838 martin.heckscher@bonhams.com

Hampshire & Dorset +44 (0) 1794 518 a433 mike.jackson@bonhams.com

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* Plus buyer’s premium and other fees. For details of the charges payable in addition to the ﬁnal hammer price, please visit bonhams.com/buyersguide

26 I AUGUST 2018

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DUCATI / LAVERDA 750 TWINS

Both of the Italian twins make for competent mile-eaters, says Stu Thomson

ome readers might fancy an older Italian twin, and they might wonder what the merits of different generations might be. I’ve been able to directly compare two 750s from Laverda and Ducati. They used to be considered ‘large capacity’ at 750 but now this engine size seems to be regarded as a middleweight. How things change! I put both bikes on my mental wanted list years ago in the early 1970s. The Laverda SF1 dates from 1972, and there was a Ducati twin on my wish-list back then as well, but who can afford the early Ducati desmos? So the machine featured here is a 1997 750SS, the last of the square headlight carburettor 750s. The 750 Laverda is the ‘quintessential’ Laverda twin, according to author Ian Falloon in his ‘Laverda Triples and Twins Bible.’ With 25 years of development between the pair, you might expect great changes between them in terms of power output and performance. On paper at least they are pretty similar. Both Italian, power around 65bhp and similar torque outputs. In practice, both are great bikes but for different reasons. The Ducati handles the tight hairpins on the passes very well, although the steering lock can be an

issue sometimes. The Laverda just cruises through the passes but in a less frantic manner. When you’re riding the Laverda you go hunting for tunnels – just for the sound of the exhaust reverberating against the walls. The Ducati is quite lithe at 195kg with fluids; the Laverda is somewhat more portly at about 230kg with full tanks of oil and fuel. The extra mass on the Laverda comes from the very substantial frame, the large engine and those enormous drum brakes at each end, which incidentally work very well and are very controllable. Both machines have a solid feel, although the Laverda is somewhat more robust and demands a longer stretch to the handlebars from the seat. Their differences come in the form of the power delivery, handling and the build. The Laverda is very stable in long, sweeping turns due in no small part to its wheelbase, and is quite heavy to move around. It did very well in long distance production racing, due to the robust build quality. Initially, the bike’s weight seems to be very high but on the move this disappears. The Ducati appears tiny in comparison and is very flickable in corners, but it’s not quite as stable as the Laverda in those long sweepers.

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AUGUST 2018 I 27

The lovely swoopy lines of the tank that can be [expletive deleted] uncomfortable when using the big front brakes

Ducati’s ghastly suicide stand modified by machining the top of the screw head so the spring can pass. With the rearset footrests and gearchange gubbins there’s no centrestand on this big twin

At low revs aboard the SF1, your eyeballs tend to move up and down with the vibration but it will crawl along easily without snatching. Not so with the Ducati; until you reach 2500rpm the drive is very snatchy, but after that it is very smooth. Driving in town traffic on the Laverda is easy even if the bike itself somewhat heavy. I modified its clutch to avoid months of training in the gym to be able to pull it in! The Ducati is a pain in the wrists around town. The Laverda struggles to get to 115mph with the fairly upright riding stance. The Ducati sweeps to 115 and beyond very quickly, and the torque delivered by the

V-twin engine feels mighty impressive. The Ducati revs to over 9000rpm, while the rotating masses within the 360-degree crank inside the Laverda limit its revs to about 6700. As mentioned, the Laverda vibrates… just like a Triumph twin, but more so. It can’t be hidden: you need to check all the fixing bolts regularly! The engine does smooth out to some extent around 4000rpm, but then the vibes come back with a vengeance above this. You can really tell the difference between the parallel twin and the Ducati engine, with its off-beat rhythm and a turbine smoothness up the rev range.

Clear clocks with a pretty high redline for a large capacity twin. The mph speedo reveals that this example was an official UK import

Ducati painted cases; finish falls off with winter salt

28 I AUGUST 2018

Adjustable levers for tiny hands and a very light hydraulic clutch to match the brake

The Laverda now has electronic ignition, a Pazon system, which has smoothed the power delivery from low revs. It also improved the fuel consumption to something over 55mpg with a light throttle hand, but the fuel pump Dell’Ortos make their presence felt if the machine is gunned – and even then the SF still can’t match the acceleration of the 750SS. Or the Ducati’s economy; even when ridden with gusto, the 750SS delivers over 60mpg. The Laverda has a tank capacity of 21 litres and the Ducati 17.5 litres, so the actual tank range is about the same on either machine. On the maintenance side, the Laverda is a doddle. It’s easy to adjust the tappets with their screw and locknut arrangement, and the simple primary chain adjustment is done by feeling the tension. The Ducati engine is, as we all know, desmodromic, which requires bucket shims to the correct thickness, and maintenance is somewhat complex for the home mechanic to achieve (even for an experienced engineer). The timing belts need checking and changing if the bike is stood for a time without the engine being turned over to change the belt positions.

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DUCATI / LAVERDA 750 TWINS

Touring twins: this time we find the Laverda in the Alps

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AUGUST 2018 I 29

Lurking under the tank on the SF1 is the mostly original wiring loom, but previous owners have made some mods and the connections to the Lucas handlebar switches add ‘interest’. There’s no multi-pin pugs here; each wire is individually connected, and the Laverda does vibrate just a touch…

The Laverda is quite hard on oil which, in theory, needs to be changed every 1500 miles with pretty basic 20/50 mineral. The Ducati uses fully synthetic lubricant which needs changing every 6000 miles; a real plus-point if touring abroad. Then we come to the brakes, which means that I have to mention the iconic brakes of the Laverda; those enormous, cable-operated drum brakes. SF stands for Super Freni and the ‘super brake’ name applies to the rear even more than the front. But they cannot compete with the twin front and single rear discs of the Ducati which give incredible stopping power, an ideal combination given the light weight of the 750SS. Also, the rear disc on the Ducati is ideally suited to the machine. To be honest, the big brake on the

back of the Laverda could be considered overkill in most road-riding situations. It’s the same as the brake on the front which makes it very easy to lock the wheel, because the foot pedal has more leverage than the hand lever. So which of the pair is the best classic Italian 750 to ride or own today? The main difference between them is that the Laverda is effectively a hand-built machine. The SF1 was manufactured in relatively small numbers (about 3500) from a combination of high quality parts. The Laverda brothers chose what they perceived to be the best components. Mine had Lucas switches, Lucas indicators, Bosch dynamo and voltage regulator, Bosch ignition and coils, Nippon Denso speedo and tacho, CEV headlight, Tomaselli throttle, and its gearchange

The Laverda twin looks so much like Honda’s CB72/77 engine that Stu became bored by people asking him if the bike was a Honda. You’d think they’d notice the Laverda logo…

30 I AUGUST 2018

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positioned on the right. It could be called a real parts-bin special, straight from the factory. The generator warning light even said ‘oil’, because this was an early model in the production run. The clocks are similar to those of a CB750 Honda, which probably had the oil light in that position. This fooled me when I first got the SF some 10 years ago. I searched for the oil pressure switch and then realised the light was for the generator (dynamo): duhhh. The wiring loom on the Laverda under the tank looks like it was put together by an apprentice. By contrast, the Ducati has nice multi-plugs and sockets and is very easy to connect / disconnect. Maybe Laverda would have improved this with time and more modern production techniques. The SF was built for enthusiasts who are willing to overlook the strange quirks of the bike and to get involved with it. When they were new, the Laverda was considerably more expensive than its opposition; Triumph Trident, Norton

The red zone shown on the Laverda’s clocks is different to the rev limit given in the owner’s manual. Remember, the Ducati revs to 9000rpm. Oh, and that ‘oil warning light’ is actually an electrical charge light. Of course

DUCATI / LAVERDA 750 TWINS

The Lucas switchgear needs long thumbs to operate, and Stu says you have to pay close attention to keep it working in wet weather. The clutch, in its standard set-up, can put some strain on wrists and digits

Commando and Honda CB750. The price limited the numbers sold, thus increasing relative value today. The market value of a 1997 Ducati 750SS is between £1700 and £2200, and it may rise as they become more collectable. A good SF1 seems to cost £5500 and £7500, climbing higher for a really concours machine. I sold mine a little while ago for £6000 privately with a few spares. I only sold it due to some health issues, otherwise I would be still working to improve the little quirks here and there, as it can be both involving and rewarding.

The horn doesn’t have a relay so the contacts quite often need cleaning, usually just before MoT time…

Super freni is Italian for super brake. Which this is. Huge and handsome and highly effective

If you want an unusual but reliable machine that will appreciate in value over time, and with easy maintenance, then the Laverda might be for you… but only if you like to spend as much time improving the bikes you own as riding them. With the Ducati, I just rode it, washed it, polished it and maintained it. I didn’t really get involved with it, even though it is probably a better motorcycle to ride than the Laverda. If you’re thinking of a Laverda, then it helps if you are over 5’ 8” as the seat height is more of a stretch than the Ducati. If it sounds like I didn’t like the Laverda – in fact I actually loved

it but in a love / hate way. The Laverda twins offer plenty of scope for each owner to add their stamp of improvement; mine was the electronic ignition and the stainless spokes. The next person might attack the wiring with a vengeance. A Ducati 750SS (or one of the offshoots derived from it) would cost less to buy initially and be a great Italian twin to ride. Just remember the longer service intervals are offset by its more complex and costly maintenance; this is definitely a purchase where it pays to make sure the machine comes with a full service history!

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AUGUST 2018 I 31

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AUGUST 2018 I 33

Paul Myers liked his Indian-built Bullet so much that he bought another one, an original Enfield 350. So now he has a brace of Bullets, separated by a span of four decadesâ&#x20AC;Ś Photos by Paul Myers

34 I AUGUST 2018

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ENFIELD BULLETS

owned my first Royal Enfield Bullet back in 1971/72. That one suffered a premature end mainly due to my lack of mechanical attention, probably contributed to by the previous owner’s various ‘improvements’. The next 30-plus years saw various motorbikes pass through my hands, until my interest in Royal Enfields was rekindled during a trip to India which involved riding one for about 10 days. Shortly after our return in late 2006, a suitable 350cc model of 1993 vintage appeared at an online auction. Photographs and the accompanying description suggested that the Bullet had a fairly low mileage and was still in factory trim.

I won the auction for a reasonable price without viewing the Enfield, and on collection found the bike pretty much as described. Initially it was intended mainly for my wife, who had also ridden on the India tour, but she never really took to the 350, finding it awkward to chop and change from her more modern ride. Over the next few years the Bullet was ridden occasionally by me on local rides in the Peak District, but spent most of its time languishing in the garage.

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At the end of 2008 we relocated temporarily down to the south coast and I decided that after the neglect of the previous years, the old machine deserved some attention as well as a facelift. The frame needed powder coating, which meant a complete strip down, and I felt a desire to rebuild it as a green-lane machine with a 1950s appeal. Below: A Bullet in Spain

AUGUST 2018 I 35

Left: The trip in India which started it all Above: The Bullet truly is a bike for all seasons

Most of the bits I required came from Hitchcocks Motorcycles, although I resisted doing an exact copy of one of their suggested themes. My budget didn’t run to rebuilding the wheels with the alloy rims I wanted but the finished article looked presentable to me and was certainly pleasant to ride. I kept the 19” wheels but fitted wider Ensign tyres suitable for on/off road, with alloy mudguards, alloy tank, solo saddle, high level exhaust, bash plate and trials bars with traditional controls. The 1950s look was completed with a gorgeous early 50s style polished alloy top yoke, separate headlamp

36 I AUGUST 2018

and fork shrouds. The engine was left alone apart from the usual maintenance tasks. In this trim the bike enjoyed a few green lane outings in the New Forest and a couple of more adventurous trips onto Salisbury Plain. It was rather heavy compared to more modern off-road style bikes, but I nevertheless found it easier to handle than my previous green lane ride which was an ex-army Harley MT 350. The Enfield was at its happiest when exploring quiet backroads where the poor surface, gravel and grass centre strip make sure most traffic keeps clear. Although it looked good, the main

drawback was the small fuel tank. Even at 80mpg you don’t ride for long before looking to refill a five-litre tank. By now we were living in the West Midlands and I had swapped full-time employment for a life of retirement interspersed with occasional consultancy work. I had more time to ride and fettle. My Harley was spending more time parked up and the Enfield was getting more and more use. My revived interest in old British bikes was definitely on the rise and the Indian Enfield on its own didn’t really satisfy this craving. Scouring eBay again revealed an advertisement for a 1952

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ENFIELD BULLETS

Above: The 52 receives some welcome attention

It’s a classic! Paul’s newlyacquired 52 model

Below: Putting all the bits back together again

Redditch 350. This time it was a classified advert, which appeared to show a more or less standard bike, assuredly in full working order. A price was negotiated and a deal was struck with the proviso that I would back out if things were not as described when I came to collect it. I needn’t have worried. The Redditch Enfield was more or less as expected. It had been restored and put back on the road some 10 years previously in 2005. It wasn’t perfect and it wasn’t all original, but it was perfectly useable and worth the agreed price. The paintwork had been done by hand, the toolboxes were Indian and a bit tatty, but all the main components looked correct for the early 1950s and the numbers matched. It even had an original logbook and some history, showing it was first supplied to Stephens Motors of Carmarthen on the 3rd September 1952, first registered on the 20th of the same month. Compression was good, the engine kick-started into life easily and revved cleanly up and down the range without any undue noises. All the gears worked and the ammeter was showing a charge from the magdyno. The Redditch Enfield was soon enjoying rides around our new home near Malvern and trips into Wales, proving to be reliable and regularly doing distances of up to 200 miles. It’s difficult to draw a comparison to the later bike at this point because the Indian model was still in trials trim, but first impressions were that the original felt a little bit quicker and the engine more willing to rev freely. The early Redditch riding position feels a bit lower, especially the footrests. The singlesided 6” sls front brake was pathetic and the rear not much better. In fact I do think the brakes were quite unsuitable for riding in modern traffic and I had a few heart-stopping

moments until I did something about it. I do like fiddling and it wasn’t long before I’d built up a list of jobs I wanted to do on the new bike. The main task was to improve the front brake, but I also wanted to address the fairly poor paintwork on the frame. I decided to strip the bike and have the frame and many of the cycle parts powder coated. I had a spare, although rusty, Indian front wheel with a 2ls front brake and I worked out that with a minor mod to the brake plate it would fit into the early Redditch forks. No original Redditch items were harmed in this process! The existing wheels had been painted black instead of the chrome rims it would have worn when the bike left the factory, so it seemed in order for my rusty spare front wheel to have the same treatment along with everything else to be powder-coated. I was going to leave the engine alone for the time being, even though it was smoking a bit, apart from fitting a proper air filter in place of the bell mouth it came with. At some point in the past the original pre-Monobloc carb had been upgraded to a Concentric. It works so it’s staying. If I have problems in the future I’ll probably replace it with a new Monobloc.

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Above: Nearly, nearly… Below: …ready! Almost…

AUGUST 2018 I 37

Before taking this one to bits though I had a requirement to make the Indian 350 suitable for a pillion again. Although most of our two-up riding has been done on my Harley, I now needed something which could be carried in our motorhome garage, and the Indian Enfield was the obvious choice. So it’s back to standard tank, exhaust, dualseat and toolboxes. I also fitted a front disc brake from a later model, which meant a change of front mudguard to suit the different attachment points on the new fork lowers. It’s mechanically sound but now wears an aged patina with its 25 year-old paintwork on the tank and toolboxes. Back to the Redditch bike. Once all the bits were back from the powder coaters it was re-

assembled. Most of the incorrect metric and UNC/UNF fasteners on the cycle parts have now been replaced with stainless Imperial equivalents. Not original I know, but far better in appearance than scruffy corroded items, and no problems with nuts seizing onto their bolts providing a little copper slip has been used during assembly. Most of my stainless fasteners were supplied by Dave Middleton, who offers very good quality products with a next day postal service. I did decide to do some engine work, but it was confined to honing the bore, new piston rings and lapping in the valves, although warning bells were triggered when a very slight trace of play was detected in the big end. A short trial run looked good. The

Above: Neatly fettled, well sorted, and running well

Right: Or maybe for a green lane in Spain?

Above: Pause… When is a blown gasket not a blown gasket? When it’s a blow-hole. Check out the top right stud hole Right: A Bullet fits – just! – inside the motorhome

38 I AUGUST 2018

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ENFIELD BULLETS

An Indian Enfield for the green lanes

Loaded for a weekâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s camping in Wales A day in Wales for the 52

exhaust was now smoke-free and despite the big end play there were no unpleasant noises from down below. It is recommended to re-torque the cylinder head down after a few hundred miles but I never got that far. On my second run the head gasket appeared to start blowing after about 10 miles. The engine was still running so I carefully rode it back home. On removing the head I was rather surprised and disappointed to find it wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t

a failed head gasket as first thought, but there was a very neat blowhole between the combustion chamber and one of the cylinder barrel studs. So neat it looked like it had been machined. Engine out again for a full engine strip. As well as having the hole in the head welded up, I had a new roller big end fitted and replaced the valve guides, valves, main bearings, small end bush and gudgeon pin. The cylinder head repair and the crank rebuild were farmed out to a local engine

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reconditioning firm, Malvern Rebore, but I did the rest of the work myself. I did take advantage of more modern technology and used a single-sided sealed bearing on the outer drive side to prevent the fairly common leakage through the original felt ring between the crankcase and the primary case. I then got carried away and rebuilt the gearbox, also using single-sided sealed bearings. For good measure I treated it to new clutch plates as well.

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Have Bullet, will travel. Paul Myers and his 1952 machine

Both bikes are fitted with LED bulbs and lithium-ion batteries. The ’52 has an expensive BPC bulb but after a similar bulb failed after only a short time, I fitted an H4 headlamp to the ’93 and installed a cheap LED bulb from an Amazon supplier. Both lights are perfectly adequate as daytime running lights. I’ve no idea how well they will perform at night yet as riding at night is something I now try to avoid. Halfway through a two month break in Spain, the Indian bike developed a charging problem. Rather than mess about investigating and trying to fix it on the campsite, I bought a cheap lead acid battery and fitted that as the main battery, carrying

A bridge too far!

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the li-ion as a spare. I made sure both batteries were charged up overnight, then we could have a decent ride the following day with the back-up that if the bike battery went flat we could always get home with the other. We never needed the back-up, even when running all day with the headlight on as per Spanish requirements. Thank goodness for the LED bulbs. The problem turned out to be a failed regulator / rectifier which has now been replaced with a Boyer Bransden Power Box. At the moment both bikes are ready and eager to be ridden and, as of this year, both are eligible for VMCC events. The riding positions are different as the Indian model

was based on the 1955 design rather than my earlier example. I’m more upright on the older one due to its having a saddle as opposed to a dualseat, but they are both comfortable and I’ve covered over 200 miles a day on each without a problem. When I’m on my own I prefer riding the Redditch Bullet. It can carry a pillion but I’m fairly sure the Indian dualseat would be more comfortable for a passenger. Performance is similar, with possibly the Redditch one feeling a bit nippier, but both bikes are quite happy cruising at 50mph, maybe up to 60 on the flat or downhill. I have seen 70 on the speedo of both bikes, but they don’t feel happy and that relaxed feeling disappears. These are not bikes which encourage making progress! The speed does drop off dramatically when going up anything but a gentle slope. I think they could both benefit from a five-speed gearbox, especially the ’93 but that would be a rather expensive upgrade. I have a 500cc engine ready to put in the Indian and that may happen soon, as the lack of power can be awkward when riding two-up. The older machine took part in the Felix Burke Road Trial recently without problems, even negotiating quite a deep ford and most of the optional green lane routes. I’m also planning to take it on a tour of Western Scotland shortly. So nearly 50 years after I first owned an Enfield Bullet, this pair are still going strong!

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JAPAUTO 1000VX

HEAVYWEIGHT HONDA This is a time for anniversaries in the two-wheeled world. Among them is the half-century of Honda’s world-changing four. Alan Cathcart rides one … with a difference Photos by Kel Edge

t’s now exactly fifty years since Honda changed the face of motorcycling for ever with the October 1968 unveiling at the Tokyo Show of its four-cylinder CB750 – the first such volume production streetbike to be produced anywhere in the world. But the arrival four years later of the bigger, faster and thus perceptibly better 904cc Kawasaki Z1 four meant Honda dealers around the world now had to work a little harder to keep shifting the huge number of such bikes they’d become accustomed to selling, once CB750 deliveries got properly under way. And nobody tried harder than France’s largest Honda dealer, Paris-based Japauto. Already, on September 13, 1969 Japauto had taken a CB750 to victory in its very first race, the classic Bol d’Or 24-Hour marathon, just a matter of weeks after receiving the first of the literally thousands of similar bikes they would sell. Japauto patron Christian Vilaséca

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AUGUST 2018 I 43

was a far-sighted entrepreneur who, after taking control of his family’s large GM car dealership in 1961, founded Japauto in 1966 to import Honda motor cars. His first order was for 150 examples of the S800 sports car, all of which found buyers practically overnight. But Vilaséca also planned to cash in on what he was convinced would be Honda’s domination of the motorcycle market. History tells us he wasn’t wrong – and the debut of the Honda CB750 was the first step in Japauto’s explosive growth, which would quickly see it become Europe’s largest motorcycle dealership, selling more than 2000 new bikes each year. Once the first examples of the CB750 reached the Japauto showroom, supply was initially much more problematic than sales. But still, Vilaséca was eager to demonstrate that the new bike was reliable as well as fast, dependable as well as sexy – so as a fan of competition, the obvious gambit was to combine business with pleasure, and

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go Endurance racing with it. Japauto thus prepared one of the first examples of the CB750 four it received to compete in the 1969 Bol d’Or at Montlhéry, just outside Paris. To ride it, Japauto manager Robert Assante recruited two 19 year-olds; Daniel Urdich, who’d finished second overall in the Le Mans 1000km that year on a 250cc Honda CB72 twin, and an apprentice mechanic in the Japauto workshop named Michel Rougerie. Future GP star Rougerie and Urdich scored a fairytale win to deliver the Honda CB750’s first-ever victory in its debut race, finishing ten laps ahead of a trio of 500cc H1 Kawasaki triples which were the best of the rest of the 54 starters, and the new Honda’s biggest rival in Japan Inc’s performance marketplace. Moreover, it was the first time that any 24Hour Endurance race had been won by a four-cylinder motorcycle. The commercial benefits this victory brought in its wake gave the enthusiastic Vilaséca – who’d personally helped staff the pit, working

as refueller throughout the race – the excuse he needed to take Japauto racing seriously. So for the 1970 Bol d’Or Japauto developed its own big-bore version of the Honda’s engine, which from 1971 onwards it marketed as a kit for streetbike customers under the 950SS label. This used 70mm-bore CB450 cast pistons running in the honed-out stock CB750 cylinder block – fortunately there was just enough space between the cylinder bores for this – while retaining the standard forged five-bearing one-piece crankshaft, which turned the CB750’s original longstroke sohc 61x63 mm 736cc motor into a meatier, more potent and especially more torquey 969.80cc short-stroke package. This was installed in a lightly reinforced stock chassis now fitted with twin front discs (the CB750 had just one) and carrying a large 23-litre Read-Titan fibreglass fuel tank and three-piece Churchgate fairing, both imported from Britain. Ridden by Assante and Daniel Rouge, the so-called Monstre du Bol initially ran

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JAPAUTO 1000VX

How Honda made them, one advert is a French market item to continue the theme

up front in the race, but was delayed first by gearbox problems, then by a crash which led to the alternator breaking off the crank. The patched-up bike limped home 20th, behind the winning Smart/Dickie Triumph-3. This disappointment caused Christian Vilaséca to reason he should enter a second back-up machine for Japauto’s annual Bol d’Or 24 Hours foray. With the 1971 race transferred to the Bugatti circuit at Le Mans, Japauto prepared a pair of bikes in its new competition workshop in Levallois, a northwest suburb of Paris, staffed by the dealership’s regular mechanics working after hours and at weekends. But both bikes retired before the end of the race that was won yet again by a Triumph triple, this time ridden by Tait/Pickrell. Getting beaten twice over by the only other multi-cylinder four-stroke in dealer showrooms wasn’t on Vilaséca’s agenda, so for 1972 he decided to go for broke – especially as Kawasaki’s new 903cc four-cylinder Z1 was known to be on the horizon, and Japauto needed some good publicity to counter that impending commercial threat. So Vilaséca commissioned three Dresda frames from British chassis specialist Dave Degens, himself an expert Endurance racer who’d won the 1965 Barcelona 24-Hours on his self-built 750cc Dresda Triumph, then repeated the feat in 1970. Vilaséca clothed the three 970cc Japautos in distinctive bodywork with a onepiece seat/tank unit, all painted in different colours matching the French tricolore flag.

The blue bike of Bourgeois/Tchernine retired with a broken crankshaft, and the white one of Assante and Guido Bettiol finished ninth. But the red example of this entente cordiale, comprising a Frenchdeveloped Japanese engine with British five-speed Quaife gearbox to resolve the transmission problems of the past, fitted in a British chassis with British bodywork which both handled better and delivered a bike that at 170kg dry was significantly lighter, was ridden to victory by Roger Ruiz and his new teammate, Gérard Debrock, in front of a crowd of 70,000 fans. After that, all future Japauto racers were painted in what was deemed to be the team’s lucky colour of red, and that applied to its roadbikes, too. For 1973, Vilaséca astutely countered the advent of the Kawasaki Z1 by concocting something even bigger, even faster and thus even better in the form of the new Japauto

1000VX road bike. Honda France specifically permitted its largest dealer to create this out of a standard K0 to K6-model CB750 road bike, with the approval moreover of the Honda parent factory. Its standard CB750 frame carried twin 296mm stainless steel front discs with single-piston Tokico calipers from the recently introduced CB500 Four, Koni or DeCarbon shocks, and was powered by Japauto’s own 70 x 63 mm 970cc version of the CB750 engine, bearing special Japauto outer covers. This now featured lightweight French-made Bretille forged pistons with offset crankpins and Meillor rings, running in the cast-iron sleeves of a special big-bore cylinder block with more extensive finning. This was made for Japauto by Le Mans-based JPX, which would later become a key component supplier to several Formula 1 teams, including Ferrari. Coupled with a 4-1 Laborderie exhaust, the modified Honda big-bore engine transmitted

Two views of a seriously powerful heavyweight engine. It would not be easy to mistake this for a stock CB750

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AUGUST 2018 I 45

83bhp to the rear wheel at 8000rpm via an uprated duplex chain primary drive, the stock CB750 five-speed gearbox, but much longer 18 x 43T gearing (compared to a stock CB750’s 15 x 41T) via a nylon rear sprocket. This longer gearing and extra power made a top speed of 220km/h achievable in French magazine tests, with a 0-400 metres time of under 12 seconds, still running the standard Honda motor’s low 8.6:1 compression, and breathing through the same 28mm Keihin PW carbs. This contrasted with the stock CB750’s 66bhp and 185km/h top speed, and delivered the necessary riposte to the Kawasaki Z1’s 78bhp and 210km/h potential. Cast aluminium JPX wheels were a 1000VX option to the stock 18in rear/19in front Akront wired rims, shod with Michelin tyres as Japautos always wore in races. It was later also possible to specify the two-seater VX Vitesse version fitted with these, as well as the

full-on 1000VX Bol d’Or Replica, essentially a road-legal race replica complete with the Japauto racers’ ultra-distinctive shark-nosed bodywork as an option. This was made by Etablissements Morin at Melun in the south of Paris, with twin externally-mounted Cibié headlamps, and a concave curve to the ultra-protective fairing’s museau (‘snout’!) which was claimed by its creator Claude Morin to increase downforce on the front wheel. However, all 1000VX Japautos were delivered with their large 23-litre fibreglass fuel tank fitted with twin Endurance-style filler caps, matched to the stock CB750 dual seat, though a plushly upholstered single seat with room for tools in the seat hump (some owners fitted the battery there, as on the racers for easy accessibility) was available as an option. Around 250 examples of the Japauto 1000VX were built in total during the next five

A working definition of ‘big bore kit’. Observe the stock block on the left, the overbored block in the middle and the 1000cc completely new block on the right. The pistons fit in that order

Riding the big bore Honda. It still does not look entirely lithe and light

46 I AUGUST 2018

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AUGUST 2018 I 47

Just a reminder: this is one of the very first CB750s, a ‘sandcaster’ in fact, so-called because its major engine castings were sand-cast, before the dies were produced for full production

By way of a contrast to the early CB750…

A study in badging: fuel tank and side panel

years, before Vilaséca decided to call a halt to its manufacture in 1978. With the impending arrival of Honda’s new twin-cam 16-valve 95bhp CB900FZ in February 1979, the existence of a single-cam eight-valve Japauto big-bore special producing over 10bhp less no longer made sense. But as an example of alternative thought, Japauto had also built a turbocharged version of the 1000VX in 1976, fitted with a US-made Sigerson turbo, though it never reached production. These streetbikes all carried the newlycreated Japauto motorcycle badge, depicting the head of a wild buffalo complete with horns, which Christian Vilaséca admired for its tenacity, aggressiveness and endurance. These were qualities he sought for Japauto’s race bikes, and the two trophies on the badge naturally depicted the firm’s two Bol d’Or victories – for in 1973 Gérard Debrock, now teamed with Thierry Tchernine, had made it two wins in a row and a third in five years for Japauto, leading a Bol d’Or 24-Hours blighted by 15 hours of torrential rain to victory at Le Mans, two laps clear of the runner-up BMW, next best out of the 58 starters.

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In 1974, Christian Vilaséca opted to race outside France for the first time, in the gruelling Barcelona 24 Hours in July, where Japauto riders Roger Ruiz and Christian Huguet finished second behind the victorious Godier & Genoud Kawasaki. This appearance was occasioned by Spain becoming an important export market for the French company, for with the importation of Japanese motorcycles banned under the Franco government in order to protect the local industry, purchasing a Japauto which was deemed to have at least 60% of its value emanating from elsewhere than Japan (including not only parts, but the cost of assembly) was a convenient if costly way for Spain’s wealthy élite to buy themselves a four-cylinder Honda – made in France! Considering that the VX1000’s 488,000 pesetas price tag was more than double the equivalent of the retail cost of a stock CB750 in France, and over three times the price of a 150,000-peseta Renault R5 car, purchasing one required customers to flaunt their wealth. But Japauto’s Madrid-based distributor Tayre S.A. – which also imported Ferrari, Maserati

and Morgan – brought 73 examples of the unfaired 1000VX into Spain, providing the canny Vilaséca with a lucrative sideline to his main business. These bikes for the Spanish market, plus the single 1000VX that made its way new to Great Britain, were in fact the only such motorcycles to be officially registered as Japautos. For the official title of the 1000VX, as recorded on its official French carte gris papers, was ‘Honda CB750 modifiée Japauto’, and the series of 74 export bikes bearing VIN nos.1000VX-0801 onwards were the only ‘true’ Japautos. Great two-wheeled trivial pursuits question, no? A completely original example of the 1000VX is increasingly hard to find, but one of the 73 bikes brought to Spain, which was

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JAPAUTO 1000VX

easy the big-bore Japauto is to ride. By the standards of the era it’s quite potent, and extremely torquey and flexible, with a muscular degree of acceleration in keeping with its undeniably butch looks, thanks to the meaty-looking JPX cylinder block. The road bike’s engine is essentially identical to the one that powered the late Thierry Tchernine and his partner Gérard Debrock to victory in the 1973 Bol d’Or, and I remember Thierry being present when I rode the replica of his bike at Magny-Cours, when he confirmed its authenticity after sampling it himself. ‘Riding this bike peeled back the years for me,’ he enthused. ‘The engine is so flexible and forgiving. We would never use bottom gear on the track, even in a tight hairpin,

because the big engine had so much torque you could pull out of there in second. It was an ideal Endurance racer – it was fast, but not demanding to ride hard, so even if you were tired, you could still go quick on it.’ Indeed so, which meant that on the Spanish 1000VX I concentrated on surfing the torque curve between 4000 and 7000rpm, short-shifting there rather than run the low mileage engine – that’s essentially just nicely run in – out to the redline. The big-bore Honda engine is pretty responsive low down, in spite of using a standard camshaft and valve timing. That’s presumably due not only to the small 28mm stock carbs, but also the quick-action quarterturn throttle that equipped all versions of

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AUGUST 2018 I 49

first registered on March 7, 1974 in Oviedo, capital of the Asturias region on Spain’s northwest coast, remained with its first owner Julio Gargallo for 42 years, during which it covered just 10,456 km from new. It was then purchased from him in 2016 by my Spanish mate Joaquin Folch, owner of a fine collection of historic bikes, and on a recent visit he kindly threw me the Japauto keys for a ride down memory lane, out into the Catalan countryside to the southwest of Barcelona. Having already ridden an authentic replica of the 1973 Bol d’Or race-winner owned by Patrick Massé and his wife Véronique, founders of the 1000VX Club de France, the Japauto owners / enthusiasts club, I was already prepared to be reminded how

Anyone who’s changed the engine filter on one of these will be delighted at the tucked-in exhaust headers Voila, the Japauto 1000VX Bol d’Or Replica. The fairing favoured function, rather than form

The pilot’s view of the racer is surprisingly similar to the roadster. However, subtle differences there are

Big Go demands Big Stop. These brakes will be worked very hard indeed to haul down the Japauto

The sound of… well, not silence, not exactly. Interesting to see that one of the original Honda silencer heat shields has been re-tasked

50 I AUGUST 2018

the 1000VX. At 207kg half-dry the Japauto is no lightweight, but it accelerates quite smartly, to an only slightly muted howl from its graceful-looking but fruity-sounding Laborderie 4-1 exhaust. It has excellent midrange roll-on, and while with the taller gearing it cruises very comfortably in top gear at 75mph with the tacho needle parked just on the 4000rpm mark, if you want to pull out to pass some traffic, just twist the wrist and the Japauto responds effortlessly, in a way more typical of the four-cylinder superbikes of the following decade. Truly, this was a bike ahead of its time that represented the epitome of high performance motorcycling in the mid-1970s. Sure, it cost a lot of money when new – but it delivered. Japauto customers could be sure that for that hefty price they were getting the fastest thing on two wheels that was also road legal. But it was also a comfortable roadburner, too – or at least, this one was, for Snr. Gargullo had chosen to fit the well-upholstered, practically luxurious optional Japauto single seat as employed on the company’s racebikes. This is a comfy throne for the long haul compared to the hard bench-type stock CB750 seat the 1000VX would originally have been delivered with. But you do have to stand on tiptoe to throw a leg over the Japauto, on account of the rather tall seat back, though once aboard you realise that at 805mm the seat itself isn’t too high, and that thanks to the indented rear squab, once aboard you’re wedged in place. Moving around in the seat is pretty difficult, and hanging off in turns strictly interdit. The result is a relaxed, rational riding

position that you get the impression would surely be ideal for Endurance racing. It’s an untiring semi-upright stance that doesn’t place too much body weight on your arms and wrists as you reach forward over the capacious though not excessively bulky fuel tank to the stock Honda handlebar, surmounting the CB750 instruments. The tacho is redlined from 8000 to 9400rpm, so you’d have to flirt with over-revving this big bore motor to obtain peak power of 83bhp delivered at 8000rpm, but much more important is the substantial extra torque peaking at 7200rpm. The only truly retro things about this bike are the instruments, Japauto-branded warning lights pod, and the switchgear. The rest could be 20 years later. Another surprise was that the pretty rangy 1475mm wheelbase of the 1000VX’s stock Honda frame, and its kicked-out 28º head angle for the 35mm Showa forks, didn’t make it unduly slow-steering. OK, this isn’t exactly a 250GP racer, and with the 19-inch front wheel the steering is a bit slow even by the standards of 40+ years ago. A Norton Commando or Triumph Triple is definitely quite a lot more agile, but I found the Honda chassis to be relatively easy to change direction with. It was super-stable round long fast sweepers, where it felt solid and dependable as well as reassuring, yet it’s not too physical a bike to ride, which was a surprise with that geometry. Moreover, unlike on the racer, the 1000VX’s Koni shocks gave good ride quality as well as more than adequate damping – and with the new Metzeler Lasertec tyres Joaquín had fitted, there was plenty of grip to allow

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JAPAUTO 1000VX

Our man Sir Alan also rode the Japauto racers. Here’s one now, safely confined to a race track

a proper test of the Japauto’s handling. The completely original Showa CB750 fork was surprisingly compliant by the standards of back then, and indeed the entire front end felt very tight and together, with no sign of chatter when I started trying a bit harder in turns. Nice. Also nice was the braking. That too was a real surprise, because the twin 296mm stainless steel Honda discs gripped by singlepiston Tokico calipers off the CB500 four (whose design apparently made it easier to change brake pads more quickly during a pit-stop than CB750 ones) were much more effective here than on the racer. There, you had to squeeze the lever very hard indeed, while also standing on the pedal operating the small 180mm SLS rear drum brake, to get any sort of stopping power. On the street Japauto the same brake package stopped the bike from high speed surprisingly well, albeit without any real initial bite – it had a kind of cumulative effect. Compared to the APLockheed cast iron discs on the Ducati 750SS

‘Japauto customers could be sure that for that hefty price they were getting the fastest thing on two wheels that was also road legal…’

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AUGUST 2018 I 51

I took delivery of the same year this Japauto was built, which had great initial bite and didn’t ever fade, the Japauto’s brakes weren’t as effective, but they still got the job done OK, and the light drilling of the discs for wet weather use would have been a bonus, too. You must be very emphatic in changing gear on the left-foot one-down shift lever, which is pretty slow at the best of times, although with that torquey motor and wide spread of power, that’s not such an issue. The engine has a lovely linear build of power that’s also strong and determined in its nature – just that it’s measured rather than sprightly, and it doesn’t pick up revs very fast. However, when you have a 970cc four-cylinder motor, and everyone else is on a 750/850 twin or a slightly less potent 904cc Z1 Kawasaki at best,

52 I AUGUST 2018

that’s not so much of an issue. Clutchless upshifts worked just fine, especially with the quick-action throttle which also allowed a quick blip of the throttle on downshifts. Where the Japauto 1000VX really scored was in the overall feeling of confidence it delivers. It feels very tight, well-built and together, and due credit goes to Christian Vilaséca and his men for making it that way. It’s both classy and confidence-inspiring. While very much a child of the 1970s, the Japauto 1000VX is nevertheless a forwardlooking model that offered a unique level of high performance for its day. Always wearing his trademark cap. Christian Vilaséca was invariably ever-present in the Japauto pits during each successive Bol d’Or race, frequently taking care of refuelling

the bikes. It was doubly ironic, therefore, that he should suddenly pass away on the Sunday morning of the 1994 race, by which time Japauto was no longer taking part. ‘Endurance racing is for me a justified passion,’ Vilaséca was reported as saying in an interview before his death. ‘Above all else, Japauto is a Honda dealer which has to attract customers to its doors. You must spend money on advertising to get them there, and I prefer to do this through Endurance racing. But even if I wasn’t such a big fan of the sport, I’d still do it because it’s been an effective way of making our company very well known.’ Manufacturing the short run of 1000VX roadburners which represented the first-ever heavyweight Hondas was a welcome side benefit of that philosophy.

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Vintage Japanese Motorcycle Club ...The home of Japanese Classics

“run by motorcyclists for motorcyclists”

• Bi- monthly award-winning club magazine – Tansha. Reports from around the club sections, shows, events, rallies, what’s on, technical articles, bike reviews, specialists, suppliers, bikes and parts for sale and wanted... and more! • A huge resource of information and help for any Japanese bike you’re trying to get back on the road or into show condition. • Discounted insurance from the VJMC’s preferred insurers. • Camaraderie with like-minded enthusiasts. • Shows, events, rallies, rides and social section meetings in your area and nationwide. • In fact, stuff that is priceless for the joining fee!

Tel: 01454 501310 M-T/1000-1600 Email: vjmcmembershipuk@gmail.com

www.vjmc.com

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AUGUST 2018 I 53

Grand sports!

Is this the most mighty Pussy of them all? Seems unlikely, but itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s really interesting, claims Frank Westworth Photos by Rowena Hoseason

54 I AUGUST 2018

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PANTHER MODEL 50

his was a complete surprise. We’d rolled up to North Cornwall Motorcycles (you can guess where they are and what they do, I bet) to borrow a Kawasaki from Mike who does something important there. I’m not sure what it is that he does, but he’s very good at it and it involves drinking a lot of coffee. This is a pair of good things. Mike rides a W650, and we’d asked to borrow it. He’d agreed. We set a date, an approximate time, rocked up and discovered two things. First: both of the posh magazine-quality cameras we’d brought (you can never be too careful) had flat batteries (maybe you can), and NCMC had a Panther in their showroom. A 2-stroke Panther. So. Two flat batteries and a Panther. What to do? Easy. Reveal with shamed embarrassment that flat battery situation (much shrugging and sly smiles) and enquire innocently whether the Panther was a runner? Of course it was. The bike’s battery was flatter than either of those in the cameras, but it still started … just like that, as a magic man used to say. And my cell phone takes pictures…

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AUGUST 2018 I 55

Above: And yes, this is an engine. A thing of considerable surprise to stalwart Panther hauliers when it appeared, too Right: Was there ever a more striking looking Panther? Don’t answer that Below: Villiers supplied their engines as a complete package, complete with carbs and exhausts. Observe the ignition switch in the top of the casing

The carb is neatly enclosed, out of harm’s way. Everything you need to get it going is here: throttle cable, choke pull, tickler and ignition switch. All very neat

56 I AUGUST 2018

Right, that’s the excuses out of the way. Why the Panther, and what is it? The what it is bit is easy: it’s a Panther Model 50, notionally a 350 but in fact just 324cc. A twin, which is unusual in the annals of Panther lore. A 2-stroke twin. The Why? My very own, very first motorcycle was a Panther. A 2-stroke Panther. I’ve had a semi-soft spot for them ever since, and once even attempted to buy one fitted with an electric start. That was in 2005 or so. I failed. I’ve not seen another one for sale since. This may be a great shame. Or not. In case you’re interested, it happened like this. When I was a grubby teenager, long, long ago, I discovered that although girls were impressed by the fitness engendered by a need to pedal a bicycle all over the place, they were less impressed by the side-effects, such as that manly odour and the joy of being carried on the crossbar. Girls could be fickle. They may still be, how to tell? And several of my 16 year-old pals at school had graduated from pedal power to engine power, riding a hideous collection of clapped-out horrors with L-plates. Or not, depending. Depending

on whether the guys down at The Full Moon or at The Merlin were making scathing remarks about grubby wannabee bikers and their disgustingly clapped out bikes. Slowly, they passed their tests, my pals, as did I, but in my case only after Ordeal by Panther. One of those friends who passed his test was called Jim (his real name, no need to protect the guilty), who instantly graduated to a Triumph 5TA, which he tuned to perfection by fitting ‘Tiger 100’ badges stolen from a convenient breaker. The learner bike he – or rather his mother – threw away was a Panther, a 197cc stroker single called a Model 10/4. Another friend, who we’ll call Geoffrey (his real name, this is all true) spotted the biliously rusted pile of scrap just before the binman removed it – which they would do in those days – and saved it. For me. And I’d thought he was my friend. Geoffrey also rode a Triumph – a genuine T100A, so you can imagine the awesome teenage rivalries. Both bikes boasted identical performance. Triumph were masters of marketing for a very long time. The Panther was appalling. Desperately

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PANTHER MODEL 50

Villiers expected owners to do their own maintenance, which was very simple. They left clues on the engines, too

slow, evil handling from a winning combination of a broken main frame and worn-out Earles forks, feeble brakes from the Feeble Brake Co of Somewhere in the Midlands, and its original 1958 tyres. In 1970. High mileage it wasn’t; entirely knackered it was. But it had suffered a considerably less than charmed life. And although it entirely lacked any form of credibility in the eyes of those café snobs with the C15 Beezers, it outcooled any LE Velo or dying Vespa scooter. Other views may be available. And it was a lot less effort than pedalling. At least… At least it was until the kickstart shaft sheared clean off, which hurt in a heroic, manly way, and it lost top gear. The former was merely embarrassing, as I couldn’t find or afford a replacement kickstart shaft, so needed to bump it. Which wasn’t difficult, compression being one of many features lacking in the bike, but combined with school blazer and hot Somerset summers the run’n’bump raised the manly odour levels to those more associated with heroic labouring work. The departure of the top of the four ratios in the gearbox was caused by one of

the castings cracking in half. Nostalgics for the great days of Brit commuter bikes gloss over things like this. Eventually a friend found me a replacement Villers 9E engine for it, which cost a fiver, and another friend’s dad offered me a complete, notionally running 1948 AJS 18 for the same money. Life is filled with cruel choices.

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Below: The filler caps were used on several marques and have a measure on the other side, for those rare occasions when you find a filling station which lacks a 2-stroke dispenser

Above: Somewhat remarkably, the rear end enclosure won a Design Council award. Maybe hallucinogens were more available in 1959 than we all thought. And despite its obvious beauty and style, underneath was a proper mudguard, all of which made changing a tyre a truly tiresome experience

AUGUST 2018 I 57

There is absolutely nothing wrong with this brake. Intended to control the combined mass of a heavyweight 650, plus mum, dad and 2.4 children, it’s well up to handling even the demon power of the 350

So. Millions of years later, every old Britbike is a noted classic and Panther strokers are the stuff of legend. They’re like unicorns: everyone knows they’re fantastic but few folk have seen one, while fewer yet have ridden one. Hence my delight at finding a running – and remarkably stock – example in good nick down at the local mosickle emporium. And it was a lovely day. To start a Villiers twin-powered lightweight Brit is an interesting and faintly unusual experience. The ignition key is slotted into a switch situated on top of the engine, rather than dangling from a bracket or mounted in the headlamp. There’s a reason for this perfectly sensible state of affairs. This is because Villiers, a company with many clever engineers and with smart management who understood that their business was the manufacture of engines to be sold into the trade rather than competing with other motorcycle manufacturers out there in the

Another impressively giant brake controls the excesses of the rear wheel. Sadly, it’s cable operated, and is a little spongy

cold hard world, supplied their engines as a complete package. Complete; they came with their own electrical equipment, exhaust systems and carbs too. All the several manufacturers who used Villiers engines needed to do was design a bicycle around them and hang on all those fripperies which make riding possible, such as seats, tanks, wheels … that sort of thing. Some were better at it than others. Panther’s small – but entirely entertaining – range of Villiers bikes was similar… well, apart from the great weight and mysterious front ends fitted to the earlier singles. Exactly why they went for an Earles-type front fork will be forever mysterious, but they did. It was fairly hopeless. I had one. It graced the 10/4 with the steering agility of a supertanker, and the British Hub Co brakes gave it a similar stopping distance. I rode mine onto the backs of several cars. Very slowly… This all sounds very critical, but the little

s of a brand-new Panther on As you can observe from these shot to stay commendably aged man test in 1959, our survivor has odd front mudguard ly rkab rema the to n dow Even . standard

Panther represented my own entry into the astoundingly rewarding world of motorcycling – and I’ve never forgotten that. One of my final memories of the totally tatered 10/4 was riding to a friend’s house for late-night coffee after a pleasant evening on the town. She pressed the starter button on her 160cc Honda and waited patiently while I ran up and down Taunton’s High Street pushing the Panther into life. She slid silently away through the town, while Panther and I popped and spluttered together, me holding the revs high to keep the generator passing sufficient current to light the lights. Battery was there none, nor could I afford one. Then a policeman stopped me for making too much noise… The Panther you can see hereabouts is a remote relative of my first bike. Although the basic single-loop frame is the same, and although I think the tank and parts of the other tinware are the same, it is considerably better. As I’ve said, this is a Model 50, and until I did the selfless and dedicated in-depth research for which RC is justly famous I had no idea how remarkably rare it is. It is. Really. Rare. Very few were sold. I’ve tried and tried, but I cannot find a definite sales figure, and if noted Panther historian Barry M Jones can’t supply one as they’re too unreliable in his view, then we’ll just have to guess. The best figure I’ve read quotes the total number of Model 50 Panthers as being 372. Not a lot…

PANTHER MODEL 50

The charm-packed skirt simply screws to the same bulbous sidepanels used on all the other early Panther strokers. They contain the battery and tools

To further devastate your credulity, Panther also referred to the Model 50 as the‘Grand Sports’, claiming a top speed in the mid-70s. That must have been fun. However, joking aside, this is actually a remarkably practical‘classic’motorcycle. Only you know whether you’d define a Villiers Panther as‘classic’(I would, in fact, as it has a fascinating history and is part of a fascinating company), but in terms of practicality, ease of use and spares availability, this is pretty good. It just looks … strange. Right then. Turn the key, check that the fuel’s on, sloshing the tank a little to ensure that the pre-mix is indeed mixed, and kick. This is very easy, apart from the oddly elevated kickstart position. Not easy with my battered knees. But there’s little compression and less inertia – one of the many joys of a 2-stroke twin – and it fires up easily. No need for a choke on a hot day like this, either. Within a few moments the tickover has arrived, blushing, and the engine settles down to that once-familiar poppop-popping cadence of a British stroker. It sounds authentic, too, with the single large silencer untroubled by the small volumes of gas passing through. It even has its baffles, which is a good thing. The seat is high, comfortable and deep, too. In Cleckheaton, the Yorkshire home of P&M, Panther makers, they catered for a rider’s backside, plainly. The high seat and high kickstart are a peculiar combination, because they make the bike feel tall, which in fact it isn’t – the quoted height is just 28½”, although it feels taller. Once it’s burbling away and you can sit upright, reach for the bars and start feeling your way around the machine, it’s all good news. Comfortable, with the controls doing that falling thing which they’re supposed to.

The forks appear remarkably tall, and in fact they are, being shared with the 650 sloper singles. The headlight is shared with the heavyweights too, unlike most of the Panther strokers

But why did Panther, home of the ‘Biggest Aspidistra In The World’ – the stump-pulling long-stroke sloper singles – find themselves offering machines powered by Villiers stroker motors? Simple: their post-war range was lamentably old-fashioned and sales were slow. They were also an old-fashioned company in many ways, employing a skilled workforce, making a lot of components in-house, and needed to be able to offer a cheaper range of Panthers to attract new customers. They also needed to modernise their factory, which was also pretty oldfashioned, using ancient belt-driven machinery to produce components, while the rest of the industry had largely switched to more modern electrically-powered plant. So, in late 1955 P&M (Phelon & Moore, the company behind Panther motorcycles) revealed a range of strokers: just two initially,

the 10/3 and 10/4, which used different Villiers engines, one with three gears and the other with four. You can probably work out which was which. Other machines followed, culminating in the Model 50 350 twin, as seen here. If pressed, I’d suggest that this is probably the best of the Panther strokers. As well as the most powerful engine, knocking out a quoted 18.5bhp @ 5500rpm, the Model 50 came equipped with Panther’s own front end, its conventional heavyweight telescopic forks working rather better than the odd Earles devices, while stopping was handled by the hefty 8-inch sls drum from the Model 120 650 single. It works well, as you might expect from a brake intended to anchor up a heavy bike, a heavy sidecar and several heavy humans. Slightly wonderfully, the rear brake is the matching device from the heavyweights, and works well – as well as looking good, which it also does.

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AUGUST 2018 I 61

Handsome, huh? A rump to be seen with, maybe The view from the top is striking. That cast alloy top yoke is a thing of engineering excess, surely

So there you are, admiring the gentle pop-pop-popping from behind you and admiring the smoothness of the Villiers twin engine. Time to find a gear. Which is easy, and selection is quick, light and positive. The clutch works fine, which has not always been my experience with Villiers devices. Pull away is easy and straightforward, the irregular popping from the single silencer settling into a smooth drone as the revs ride. Gearshifting is easy, entirely unremarkable, and the ride is firm but compliant, which suggests that the springs in those heavyweight forks are not the same poundage as those in the sloper singles. They’re well damped too, which is not

always the case in this kind of machine. This is not a light bike. A quoted weight of some 333lb suggests that those eighteen and a half horses have their work cut out, a thought confirmed by the gentle rate of acceleration. A sprinter this is not. Nor is it a revver. Peak power ambles in at 5500rpm, although you’d never know, firstly because there’s no tacho and also because the power delivery is smooth and linear. Power bands were invented rather later in the development story of the 2-stroke. The engine is entirely pleasant. But a thriller it’s not. It is possible to hold in the clutch while raising the revs as far as they want to go, but

Although the Model 50 was listed as being fitted with a pair of silencers, using just the one saved a few shillings and a little weight. It also made it possible to apply foot to sidestand, which in this case we have not got Right: Thanks to North Cornwall Motorcycles for the loan of a most entertaining machine. They have another Panther stroker for sale at the moment. Contact them on 01288 355162 or at info@ncmc.co.uk

62 I AUGUST 2018

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PANTHER MODEL 50

On a baking hot day, the wise tester figures out the starting routines before donning riding gear. FW was grumbling about the height of the kickstarter. Men were men in 1959

although the resulting acceleration is OK for town traffic, tramp away at the traffic lights GP you will not. This is nothing like an oriental stroker. What it is, is a fine package. Its styling is unique – a careful word, that – while it is plainly and entirely robust. It feels as though it would burble on forever, offering no

It lives!

surprises and little excitement. The steering is good, the handling is good, the brakes are good, the lights are adequate. It will cruise all day at around 50-55mph, with a little in hand for those bursts of insane enthusiasm. This is so much not a sports machine that it is a source of some wonder and much amusement that Panther listed it as a ‘Grand Sports’. It would make a grand – if pedestrian – tourer.

Off to sort out the riding gear, then

But it feels honest. It suffers no pretensions to the speedy claims from other manufacturers. It’s a ‘real’ Panther, too, carefully thought through and well built from well-made components. I liked it, which was a mild and pleasant surprise. And here’s a fine final snippet from the mysteries of history dept: the bizarre rear enclosure on the Model 50 was granted a 1959 Design Award by the Design Council. Everything about Panthers is strange…

How the professionals did it. This was Bernal Osborne in 1959, not FW in 2018

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AUGUST 2018 I 63

Streetwise single That Frank Melling is a big fan (big, big fan) of Triumphâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Adventurer. But he could be lured towards one specific Small Heath street-scrambler, a B44 with world class credentialsâ&#x20AC;Ś

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BSA VICTOR SPECIAL

Photos by Carol Melling, RC RChive

s both regular readers of my scribblings will know, I’m not much of a fan of the unit construction BSA singles – except for the B50 motocrosser which really does go. However, there is always an exception to every rule. The one unit Beeza single I would ride, and even own, is the B44 Victor Special. The key to understanding the BSA Victor Special’s concept lies in the bike’s name… and the very different way in which motocross was viewed in the 1960s compared with today. BSA won the 500cc world motocross championship in 1964 and 1965 and, fifty odd years ago, motocross success was good for road bike sales. Rather than being a specialised niche activity, the

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vast majority of road riders knew about motocross and the mainstream motorcycle press gave the sport as much coverage as they did road racing. So this explains the ‘Victor’ connotation: a bike which was directly related to world championship motocross success. The Victor GP racer was very much the younger brother of the innocuous 250cc BSA C15 road bike, a machine never intended for racing. By the time it transmuted into the Victor, the 441cc bike had been bored and stroked and the power vastly increased. What had been retained (almost) was the C15’s weight. If you are no longer a sprightly 25 year-old, weight might well be a major issue in the motorcycle you choose. For a factory motocross machine,

AUGUST 2018 I 65

ultra-light weight equated directly to success. A works Victor was some 100lb lighter than a DBD34 Gold Star and, although the engine made 12bhp less than the Goldie, the handling and acceleration were vastly better. The works machines needed performance, not longevity. If a factory machine lasted the 40 minutes, plus two laps, of a motocross GP then its job was done. There was an unlimited supply of new bits to keep the bikes fresh, and clever mechanics to ensure that the bikes were in race winning condition. So far, so good. The problems began when BSA decided to cash in on their success by converting the already fragile Victor works bikes into production machines. In fact, the first Victors to be sold were pure race machines. These were the Victor GPs. I briefly owned a GP and didn’t like it at all. The wheelbase was too short and produced unnervingly twitchy handling. The gearbox broke merely by looking at it. And here’s a true and vitally important fact that you won’t find in any of the usual motorcycle literature. The front forks on the GP were second-rate compared to the standard setting Italian Ceriani suspension. The GP’s very short wheelbase and substandard forks caused the rear wheel to kick viciously in the air if you didn’t quite get a bump right. For some bizarre reason, BSA left a big gap between the saddle and fuel tank and, if things went wrong, you could hit this hard with bits of your body which, ideally, should not come into violent contact with steel tubing. The fix was provided by Motocross Motors who did a roaring trade selling their custom-built ‘knacker pad’ which filled the void with a protective leather and foam oval. Truly, British engineering at its finest! Despite the damage done to motocross racers’ sensitive bits, BSA were committed to

Above: The brochure made much mention of the competition heritage and Jeff Smith’s world-beating achievement with the bike Right: And here is that man; Jeff Smith, aboard a standard BSA 440 Victor in March 1966

66 I AUGUST 2018

BSA’s once-familiar power egg single, complete with an all-alloy top end and architecture shared with the whole range of unit singles. Ignition points driven by the single cam, simple pushrod valve operation and easy maintenance

the 441cc family of singles and, in 1967, the first road versions appeared. From the outset, the Victors were beset with problems and even the road bikes were not mechanically robust. The C15 derived gearbox and clutch were always fragile and, when put into the hands of less than mechanically sensitive owners, they became a real issue. The bigend and main bearings were right on the edge of their design limit and provided BSA dealers with ample spare parts sales. The Lucas electrics were also a nightmare, particularly in their Energy Transfer form which, theoretically at least, allowed the bike to run without a battery. Even at the time of their launch, the Victors seemed very old fashioned with their tricky kickstarting procedure. Flooding the carb, finding top dead centre and then catching the engine with the merest whiff of throttle is all well and good. For an expert, the process is automatic and inculcates a wonderful sense

The neat unit-construction design d conceals the chain primary drive and the crank-mounted alternator. Plentty e of room for any fettling that may be required

of smug satisfaction when the Victor bursts obediently into life.. By contrast, a beginner could kick a Victor until he was blue in the face and the thing still wouldn’t start. Alternatively, he could buy a Honda and ride away seconds affter er he had pressed the electric starte button. Honda understood their new,, vast American audience: BSA didn’t. The Victor also needed to be ridden with a degree of circumspection. A nice Victor is theoretically capable of something in the region of 85mph flat out. The problem is that ridden like this, the motor will selfdestruct in hours… which isn’t that much of a problem because the vibration will have killed the rider long before the engine blows up. Sensible cruising speed is an indicated 55mph – with a (very) quick sprint up to 60mph to show what a hard riding dude you are. What the Victor does do well is accelerate hard, and it rides like a 250cc machine which has taken a large dose of illegal steroids. This is hardly surprising because the Victor actually is a 250cc machine which has taken a large dose of illegal steroids… Victors came in various flavours from pure road bike to our test machine – which is the best of them all: the Victor Special. We have the Americans to thank for this bike because in 1967 US customers were screaming for dirt bike styled road machines, and none was better looking than the Victor Special. All of the motocross machine’s feather-light weight was retained, along with the racederived front forks, fuel tank and paint job. The front wheel was BSA’s highly effective 7”

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BSA VICTOR SPECIAL It’s not entirely easy to see that this cobby beast is a direct descendant of the BSA C15 … but it is

BSA B44 VICTOR FACT PACK Built

1965 to 68

Engine

Air cooled OHV single

Bore / stroke

79mm x 90mm

Capacity

441cc

Compression

9.5:1 or 11.4:1

Powerr

34bhp at 11.4:1

Carburettor

Amal monobloc 1 5/32

Gearbox

4-speed, foot change

Clutch h

Multiplate

Ignitio on

AC magneto

Electrics

Energy transfer

Front w wheel

3.00 x 20

Rear w wheel

4.00 x 18

Front b brake

7-inch drum

brake Rear b

6-inch drum

nd clearance Groun

8 inches unladen

Seat height

32 inches

ht Weigh

255lb dry

new Price n

£349 in 1964

SPARES AND SERVICE I’m not a collector of motorcycles and, other than the Cheney BSA which played an important part in my life-long love affair with my wife, Carol, all my other bikes are used throughout the summer. So, if I had a Victor I would want to ride it – and there is a lot of good news. The world’s leading expert on unit construction BSAs is Roger Taylor who owns RTS Racing (rtsracing.com) in rural Gloucestershire. Roger builds some ferociously fast

racing engines and also has a Victor Special of his own as a road bike. This is what he thinks of the BSA. ‘You have to remember what the bike is and not try to ride it like a modern machine. It accelerates hard up to 55-60mph and, although the vibration is there, it is not unpleasant. If you use the clutch, and take a little bit of time with gear changes, then the gearbox is sound. ‘Modern synthetic oil, like Silkolene

15w-50w, helps tremendously with the main and big end bearings. The engines are much easier to start now with electronic ignition. You can also do as much as you want to these engines. NEB make a lightweight 500cc barrel for £400 and they also produce a bulletproof crankshaft and titanium conrod. Nova make a really strong four-speed gearbox or you can have a three-speeder from NEB. ‘The problem is that the costs mount

up and, for a road bike, you have to ask if the invesstment is worth the money. My standard price for a tricked out B44 engine is £5000 which is buttons compared to something like a Manx or a G50 but a lot of money to add to the price of a road bike. ‘Overall, the Victor Special is a really nice, practical, Sunday afternoon motorcycle. It’s very good value too at the moment and certain to go up in price.’

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Wide and high bars ensure that the light bike is desperately easy to throw around, as you’d expect for a competition machine

Instrumentation is pretty basic, and well insulated against the notorious vibration

AUGUST 2018 I 67

THINKING OF BUYING?

 ORIGINALLY EXPORTED to Florida, this 1970 Victor Special was repatriated in 2004. It’s hung onto almost all of its original equipment, comes with dating certificate and V5C, and has seen little use in recent years. The Victor went under the hammer in the Charterhouse auction in May and sold for £3400

Is this slim enough for you? Observe with interest the lever for the valve lifter, a device intended to make starting less impossible…

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unit and meant that the bike could stop on a sixpence, this being pre-decimal times. In fact, the Victor was potentially a generation ahead of anything else in the world. But ‘whats’ and ‘ifs’ litter history and no more so than with the Victor. If BSA had built a reliable overhead cam engine, with a bulletproof fivespeed gearbox and fault-free electrics, then the Victor could’ve been the first successful dual sport bike. It would have been a motorcycling icon: but they didn’t. So should you buy a Victor today? Strangely, the answer is yes, for a number of reasons. First, the Victor Special in particular is a real looker. If you hanker after being the GP motocross star you never were when you were 16 years old, nothing will excite like the red BSA logo sitting proudly on the polished alloy and Spectramaster Yellow petrol tank. Next, the bikes are pretty well sorted now. An easily fitted electronic ignition makes starting much easier and that fragile gearbox is fine, now that the motor is not being revved to oblivion and the gears are not being stamped in without using the clutch.

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 FRESH FROM AMERICA, this 1970 B44 Victor was UK registered last December and is up for sale for £5295 at MJ Motorcycles in Reading. They say it has ‘receipts from when it was in the USA for comprehensive engine rebuild,’ and is ‘is a nice, useable example… not mint, but appears to be a very honest machine’

 MEANWHILE, IF YOU’D like your BSA to be rather more roadster than street scrambler, this B44 Shooting Star will be up for auction at the National Motorcycle Museum in July. Estimated to sell for between £3000 and £4000, it’s got matching numbers, has had five previous keepers and comes with some history

BSA VICTOR SPECIAL OR HOW ABOUT…

 TRIUMPH TR5T: The best dual-sport motorcycle of its generation is the utterly fabulous Triumph TR5T Adventurer – the bike which could have saved the BSA Group all on its own. The TR5T handles just as well as the Victor and has a 59 zillion times better engine. I raced a works TR5T and loved that bike to distraction. If the 560cc, five-speed prototype had ever seen production then the history of the British motorcycle industry would have been re-written. A TR5T is a little bit more expensive than a Victor – but not dramatically so. The problem comes with the ‘wow!’ factor. The TR5T always looks like a home built special, which is effectively what it was, whereas the Victor doesn’t. Take a TR5T anywhere and, at best, you will be met by apathy and/or bemusement.

Finally, used as a classic bike the performance is very acceptable. The engine is punchy and, if the revs are kept down, the vibration is fun and full of ‘character’, rather than enthusiastically self-destructive. The Victor is feather light at around 275lb on the road, and is anorexically slim and therefore incredibly easy to ride. In short, you can have a great Sunday afternoon ride and be surrounded by admirers when you stop for a pie and a coffee. One word of the caution. Don’t be misled by the bike’s off-road appearance. The Victor Special is a 100% street scrambler – with all the emphasis on the ‘street’. Anything can be ridden off-road with sufficient determination but a vastly better dirt bike is the Victor’s older and smaller capacity brother – the 350cc B40. A 441 Victor has a power delivery which is too sharp for relaxed, recreational trail riding and if you reduce the overall gearing so that the first and second are useable offroad then top and third will be vastly too low for road use.

 HONDA XL350: The 350 Honda really is a peach of thing. It is faster than a Victor, handles and stops just as well, uses less fuel and starts first time, every time. It’s also bombproof reliable and you can ride the thing flat out all day, every day, until your arms ache cruising at 80mph. David Silver also offers a superb spares service and the whole bike is home workshop easy to work on. On the downside, the XL is less than lust-inducing. This means they’re not expensive, at all. Buying an XL you’re going to have a solid £3000 to spare over a Victor in similar condition. If you can stand parking your bike in the café and being ignored then the XL is the way to go. If not, you need the BSA.

 DUCATI 450 SCRAMBLER: Another bike which is better than the Victor in every way. The Duc is much quicker, has a five-speed gearbox, better brakes and – thanks to Ducati’s test rider Franco Farne – handles like a dream on the road. Taglioni’s ohc, Desmo engine is a thing of utter beauty and scores very highly on the lust scale. With the chrome tank and fly screen, the Ducati is something of a looker too. The problem is that the Scrambler looks like a fake. It’s wearing too much make-up and too many false bits whereas the Victor is 101% honest and authentic – faults and all.

BSA’s original photo – both as taken and as seen in the brochure – shows a bike which is well worth a second look. Described as a ‘standard 441 BSA Victor’ in August 1965, it is in fact rather different in the oiling department to the road offerings. Observe the position of the oil filler: this is a pukka comp machine

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AUGUST 2018 I 69

There is also more good news. BSA made a lot of Victors and the bikes are not uncommon. A ready supply of the bike which never quite made it as a motorcycling deity means that a nice, clean, useable Victor could be yours for less than £5000 and with the current sky-high values of classic bikes, that’s something of a bargain. Don’t be led astray by some of the silly asking prices for Victors because the vendors are either sniffing illegal narcotic substances or, more likely, are just having a punt in the hope of finding some dupe with more money than sense. The Victor Special also ticks a lot of boxes. Most importantly, it is feather light and weight can be a real issue as we all get older. The bike handles a treat and stops well too. In terms of cruising speed, 55mph is fine for country lane use but you wouldn’t want to risk riding the length of the M6 on a B44 for many reasons. Finally, it has real charisma – probably more than any other bike in its price bracket. Of BSA’s unit singles – the B25, B40, B44 and B50 – the Victor is the best compromise. The engine does start, without rollers or hill assistance, and the super light weight is worth a lot of money. Used with some thought, the bike is also practical. But most of all it’s a looker, and one which will get you a place at the bottom end of the top table wherever you take the bike. For the price, it’s a bargain.

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BSA advertising used outstanding track success to sell a decently similar machine

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AUGUST 2018 I 71

72 I AUGUST 2018

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1928 AJS 500

S Ever been tempted to try a really old bike? No, not just a pre-war machine; a proper vintage motorcycle. Paul Miles sets his sights on the Banbury Run, which means he needs to learn to ride all over again… Photos by Paul Miles

o there I was, careering down a steep and muddy cart track which masqueraded as an unclassified road, on a ninety year-old motorcycle with no brakes. Welcome to the world of vintage riding. But to begin with, let’s go back a couple of months… I’ve been fortunate enough to own or ride a great variety of machines over the years and, like you, am always seeking out that new experience. I still remember the weird thrill of riding my first ‘old’ British bike, a 1970s Norton Commando. It had terrible brakes compared to my modern Japanese ride and the gear change was on the wrong side! A lot has changed for me since that first time and my horizons have steadily expanded to that point of no return – the vintage motorcycle. The VMCC recognise ‘vintage’ machines as having been built pre-1931. I already have a couple of 1930s bikes in the shed, ‘postvintage’ by the club’s reckoning. It seemed to my unfocussed eye that there was precious little difference between a motorcycle built in the late 1920s and the mid-30s, but there are events only open to these most ancient of two-wheel vehicles and I resolved to see what the fuss was about and share it with RC’s readers. A few weeks later I took delivery of the splendid-looking 1928 498cc AJS K9 you see on these pages. AJ Stevens produced motorcycles between 1909 and 1932, before the firm was purchased by Matchless. Essentially hand-made, as all of them were, the K9 sprang from a time when skilled labour was cheap and engineering expensive. It’s recognisably a motorcycle, albeit totally different from anything produced just a few years later. Like its post-vintage offspring, it’s an air-cooled single, with a three-speed gearbox operated by hand; I’m familiar with

AUGUST 2018 I 73

Above: Vintage riders faced all manner of critical conundra. For instance; ‘The problem of keeping the hands warm and at the same time enabling them to finger the control sensitively is a difficult one. Many riders prefer to do without gloves…’ Right: The 4.98hp Touring Model 9 sidevalve made its debut at Olympia in 1926. It cost £6.10s less than the ohv sports 500 which was capable of 70-75mph. AJS said that the sidevalve’s top speed was ‘appreciably lower… but its performance is nevertheless remarkable’

that. The similarities pretty much end there, however. A modern (everything is relative, remember!) 1930s bike could expect to have proper girder forks that offer a modicum of rider comfort, electric lighting courtesy of a 6V dynamo set-up and a lower, more sporting stance as befits the extra power produced by the high-tech ohv engine, the so-called ‘saddle tank’ design.

The Model 9 used the same 84mm by 90mm single-cylinder engine bottom end as the marque’s ohv 500, adjusted for a sidevalve set-up

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The only slighter older K9 is, however, a product from a different era, the last hurrah of the motorised bicycle. Pushrods operating enclosed overhead valves, all lubricated by a recirculating oil system are but a distant dream for the future. The AJS is a sidevalve slogger, with exposed springs jumping up and down, and lubrication is ‘constant loss’ – that’s oil being thrown everywhere and anywhere to you and me. The original purchaser of this thing would have been able to order extras from the factory. Not for him the choice of heated grips or a taller screen: our 1920s customer could choose to have a speedometer or lighting fitted as an optional extra! You’ll also notice that in lieu of hard touring luggage a rather snazzy picnic basket has been added, a sort-of Krauser pannier of its time. The more I looked at this thing the more I began to realise just how different it was from my 1930s bikes sitting in the same shed. The K9 has lighting, except it’s powered by gas. The horn has a rubber bulb and emits a pathetic parp when squeezed. The machine looks more bicycle-with-a-flat-tank than motorcycle and that includes the disturbingly small brake hubs. It seemed to me that there were only two possible outcomes – lots of fun, or a trip to A&E. Trying to think positively, I immediately entered bike and rider for the VMCC Banbury Run.

The Banbury Run is the world’s largest and the premier event for vintage and veteran (don’t even go there) motorcycles, with around 600 intrepid riders doing battle on a fifty-odd mile route that includes the now legendary Sunrising Hill. A bit like going to the TT, it’s something everybody should try at least once. I’d bought the bike and I secured the entry, so all I had to do was learn how to ride the thing… I’m used to old bikes, so starting the old dog (see what I did, there?) was straightforward enough. Petrol on, flood the Binks carburettor, air slide closed, retard the ignition, find TDC, lift the decompressor, push it just past TDC and give the kickstart a swing. It sounds harder than it actually is, so don’t be put off giving it a go. That was the easy bit, in truth the only really easy bit, as after that my prior knowledge had come to an end and I was venturing into unknown territory. Take the oil. On pretty much any other type of bike all you really have to do is ensure that there is some in the tank and the automatic oil pump takes care of the rest.

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1928 AJS 500

On a vintage bike, the oil pump is you and it’s your job to ensure that both the top and bottom of the engine get enough of it. A tap is opened which feeds oil to the Pilgrim pump, a sort of crude mechanical dripper that supplies the motor with lubrication. This is adjusted by hand, according to speed, load and temperature. Too much and the thing smokes like a 1950s Russian power station, oiling the unusual-sized spark plug with monotonous regularity; too little and

you seize the engine. To make it even more vexing, there’s a hand-operated plunger pump delivering extra lubrication ‘when the rider feels it’s necessary’ such as going up a steep hill. How steep is steep? I now have an anxious sleep over steep.

Above: Versions of the AJS 498cc sidevalve single were built from 1927 through to 1939. Just before the outbreak of war, it mostly resembled a modern motorcycle. The 1928 K9 version which Ace Tester Miles is riding is an entirely different proposition… Left: Fuel gets fed to the engine by a Binks carb – we even have a diagram showing how it works!

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AUGUST 2018 I 75

Running a machine like this can be an absorbing pastime. Here’s a lubrication chart

It’s started, there’s oil being flung on and in (I hope), and it’s time for a gentle first ride. Although the AJS has a hand-operated clutch, like a more modern bike, this ninety year-old device lacks a lot of the sophistication that most machines enjoy, and selecting gears is very much a matter of feeling your way into the required ratio. With only three speeds to play with, the gulf between ratios is as vast as you might expect. The first surprise becomes apparent as

it’s possible to stay in top gear right down to walking pace if you juggle the advance / retard lever enthusiastically. This is a great boon because, frankly, changing gear is more akin to a leap of faith than a conscious act, requiring a combination of fluctuating engine speed, pumping clutch and the deft hand of a conjuror in order to achieve a smooth change. More often than not there’s a crunch followed by yet another stall as I attempt to downshift. Lacking the cog-swapping skills of these

All-chain drive was common by the time this AJS was built, and the exposed kickstart quadrant is always a talking point

Titch Allen observed that this type of AJS offered a ‘taut but not exactly comfortable ride, determined by the short and sharp action of the twin-side-spring forks’

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There’s loads going on here. The side-mounted valves are exposed, which explains the minor weepage on the silencer and the impressive lack of corrosion after all these years. The gearchange linkage is a thing of wonder, as is the clutch mechanism. The black tube beneath the seat contains explosive for making the night lighter…

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1928 AJS 500

Back in the day, Titch Allen rode a similar 1928 AJS single. ‘The brakes don’t seem as I they would stop a moped,’ he observed, ‘but are quite adequate for the low weight of this Ajay.’ Ace Tester Miles might beg to differ!

Left: Tasty tackle time! Paul’s AJS displays with pride its wickerwork and a fine ‘audible means of approach’ Above: Sunrising Hill should be a breeze, because AJS assured their customers that ‘there are few hills likely to be encountered by AJS riders which present any serious difficulties… It is advisable, before an ascent is made, to give an extra pumpful of oil. Take a fast determined rush at the hill and get as far up as possible in top gear’. Got that, Paul?

pioneer riders, I end up using the brakes far more than is good for either the bike or me. They are every bit as useless as they look, especially the front stopper, which failed even to slow the AJS on the slope of the driveway. Still, just looking at the beautiful reversed lever, I’ll forgive it almost anything. It would be sensible to put the lights on and alert other road users to the lunatic just managing to stay upright on this old bike, but in order to do so I’d need to buy some matches. You see, the AJS sports the very last word in 1920s illumination – gas lighting. Instead of a battery, dynamo and wires we have a canister filled with lumps of carbide, which mixed with water produces acetylene gas. The gas runs fore and aft through rubber pipes to the lamps, giving an intensely bright, although unfocused light. There is only one electrical wire on the entire motorcycle; the HT lead. My comfort zone now seems little more than a distant speck on the slowly receding horizon. By some miracle, I reach third gear, find an open road and begin to potter along. Having no speedo, I settle on what feels like 30mph. Even at that speed, should anything pull out on me then I’ll crash. The stopping distance is about half a mile. By playing with the engine advance and air slide I’m able to make a real difference to the way the K9 feels. It’s incredibly involving and I even start to relax a little. Despite appearances to the contrary, the AJS is actually very comfortable as long as you remember that pothole avoidance is

Splendid sidevalve design, and so simple to work on. Can you spot the difference between the two engines?

undertaken as a matter of life or death. When I get home and check the GPS app on my phone, the 30mph estimate turns out to be 39, with a momentary top speed of 43mph! I laugh in the face of the man with the red flag. Having managed to start it, stop (sort of) and mostly change gear, there’s enough time to grab the beer from the (extremely useful) picnic basket and reflect on my experience. My long-ago initial ride on a classic British bike had, until this point, been the standout culture shock since getting on two wheels for the first time. But my first vintage experience

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was almost as much of an eye-opener as that first ever ride on the Garelli Rekord all those years ago; it was that good. The first few miles conquered, all that remained for me to do was ride my ancient Briton in the company of another 600 or so similarly ancient motorised cycles on the largest and most prestigious run in the world – Banbury. What could possibly go wrong? Bring it on! NEXT MONTH: How does Paul fare in the Big Ride? All will be revealed…

AUGUST 2018 I 77

Going places? Grab your jacket, hat, gloves and get that old bike a-rolling! Check out the RealClassic Facebook page for up to date details of forthcoming old bike events, and to see if the RC Crew are on manoeuvers. Visit www.facebook.com/realclassicmagazine and ‘like’ the page. In the ‘like’ options, click to ‘see first’ in your news feed. Then you’ll always know what’s happening! AUGUST 5TH

➤ The West Kent Run hosts its VINTAGE & CLASSIC MOTORCYCLE SHOW at The Friars, Aylesford, ME20 7BX from 9am. Clubs and trade stands, racing bike display, autojumble, gymkhana, etc. Admission £5. 07761 005995 ➤ There’s an AUTOJUMBLE at the Newark and Notts Showground. Bring your old bike to join the display of up to a thousand classic cars and motorcycles (reduced admission for classics from 10am). Early birds before 9am £10. Then £7 from 10am, under 12s free. Free parking. Stalls £20 on the day; discounts for prebook. 01507 529593 / newarkautojumble.co.uk ➤ The CRAVEN COLLECTION opens 10am to 4pm at Brockfield

DIARY DATE! OCTOBER 27th

➤ The National Motorcycle

Museum hosts its LIVE OPEN DAY with FREE admission and stacks of attractions – including the RealClassic Roadshow! We’ll be running the RealClassic Car-Park Concours: editor FrankW will choose his top three bikes from all the machines in the car park at noon, with prizes for the winners and a chance to be featured in the magazine. And then there’s all the other attractions; indoor autojumble and trade stalls; stars on stage, meet the experts, wheel-building demos; historic and recent race bikes fired-up; book signings, memorabilia, celebrities; food court, bar and live music. Bike parking free; cars £5 each. thenmm.co.uk

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Villa, Stockton on Forest, York YO32 9EU. Admission £5. 01904 400493 / cravencollection.co.uk ➤ There’s a BIKEMEET at the Museum of Power, Langford, Maldon, CM9 6QA from 10am. Free entry for exhibitors (prebook essential, via website) and awards for several classes. Club stands, live music, museum and tea room; mini-steam train rides, etc. Admission £6. museumofpower.org.uk AUGUST 8TH

➤ The Mid-Lincs VMCC invites RC riders to RIDE IN to the Tyrwhitt Arms at Short Ferry, LN3 4HU just outside Lincoln, for a lunchtime meet, midday onwards. Good food available; all welcome. AUGUST 10 TO 12 TH

➤ The Moto Guzzi Club’s GUZZIFEST is at Riverside Camping and Caravan Park, South Molton, EX36 3HQ. Hot food on site, disco, live music. Planned ride-outs around North Devon. Awards and raffle. Members £27; non-members £30, option to stay on an extra night. Book tickets via motoguzziclub.co.uk AUGUST 12TH

➤ The MOTORCYCLE MEGAMEET opens 10am to 5pm at Popham Airfield, Coxford Down, SO21 3BD. Normally 30-plus clubs and more than 800 bikes on display. Club, trade and jumble stands, some under-cover. Big range of refreshments. Free entry if you prebook (via the website) your classic into the display and arrive before the gates open. Admission £7. popham-airfield.co.uk / 01256 397733 AUGUST 18TH

AUGUST 23RD TO 30TH

➤ The international MANX RALLY on the IoM runs throughout the Festival of Motorcycling. Organised by the VMCC, includes organised rides, meals and meets, entry to museums and collections, spectator admission to the Festival of Jurby, film night, prize presentation, dedicated parking at the Classic Biking Pageant and more. Rally tickets cost £40, from jurbyfestival.com AUGUST 30TH TO SEPTEMBER 1ST

➤ The ‘UK’s most exclusive automotive garden party’, SALON PRIVÉ is at Blenheim Palace. Among the posh motor cars, it showcases three classes of ‘exceptional motorbikes’. salonpriveconcours.com AUGUST 31ST & SEPTEMBER 1ST

➤ The giant EUROJUMBLE returns to Netley Marsh, SO40 7GY, filling a great big field with stacks of old bike bits and some complete machines for sale. Opens 9am both days. Charterhouse auction on the Friday at 1pm. Advance tickets start at £8 from 01507 529529 / classicbikeshows.com AUGUST 31ST

➤ The NATIONAL MOTORCYCLE MUSEUM opens seven days a week, 8:30am to 5:30pm. The biggest collection of British-built bikes in the world, including many competition machines, rare models and one-off prototypes. Admission £9.95. Café, gift shop, etc. thenmm.co.uk ➤ The LONDON MOTORCYCLE MUSEUM opens from 10am Saturday, Sunday and Monday each week at Oldfield Lane South, Greenford. Hundreds of interesting Brit bikes on display including many rare prototypes and factory specials. 0208 575 6644, london-motorcyclemuseum.org ➤ BIG BIKE NIGHT runs from 6pm every Thursday for vintage to modern motorcycles at the Victoria Bikers Pub in Coalville, LE67 3FA. vicbikerspub. co.uk ➤ BROOKLANDS MUSEUM is open 10am to 4pm throughout the winter apart from a few days at Christmas. Includes the motoring village, test hill, banked track and aviation collection. Admission £10. At Weybridge, J10/J11 off M25. 01932 857381 ➤ The LLANGOLLEN MOTOR MUSEUM is open all year round, Friday to Monday, 9.30am to 5pm. Admission £5. On the road to the Horseshoe Pass at Pentre Felin, LL20 8EE. llangollenmotormuseum.co.uk

➤ There’s a CHARTERHOUSE AUCTION of classic and vintage motorcycles, as part of the Eurojumble at Netley Marsh, SO40 7GY. View in the morning; sale starts 1pm. 01935 812277 / charterhouse-auction.com SEPTEMBER 1ST

➤ The GREAT NORTH JUMBLE starts 7am at the North Yorkshire Events Centre at Scorton, five miles off the A1 at Catterick. Admission £3, huge jumble site with indoor and outdoor stalls. Call 07909 904705, pitches from £12. Plenty of parking, plus refreshments. AUGUST 19TH

➤ The Haynes BIKERS’ BREAKFAST RIDE-IN meets from 9.30am at Café 750, next to the Motor Museum itself at Sparkford, Yeovil, BA22 7LH. All marques and ages of machine welcome. himm.co.uk

➤ There’s a BONHAMS AUCTION at the Beaulieu autojumble, at the National Motor Museum near Southampton. Free appraisal if you’re thinking of entering your bike into the sale. 0208 963 2817 / bonhams.com/ motorcycles REGULAR RIDES

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SEND YOUR EVENT INFO

to RCHQ@RealClassic.net for inclusion in the magazine and online listings

SCORTON

– North Yorkshire Events Centre DL10 6EJ 5 mins off A1 at Catterick, B1263 Catterick to Teeside road – 1 mile east of Scorton - Starts 7am UNDERCOVER & OUTSIDE

EVERY THIRD SATURDAY OF EVERY MONTH

AUGUST 18th and SEPTEMBER 15th

ADMISSION £3.00 • PITCHES FROM £12 • A MASSIVE 10 ACRE SITE OF AUTO AND BIKE JUMBLE INSIDE AND OUT AMPLE PARKING – EXCELLENT REFRESHMENTS

CALL BERT ON 07909 904705

GREAT NORTH JUMBLE

GIANT AUTO & BIKE JUMBLE

Malpas Vintage Machinery Association Ltd - A Great Family Weekend

45th Yesteryear Rally

at Hampton Malpas, Cheshire on the A41 Whitchurch - Chester Rd

8th & 9th September 2018

Gates open daily at 10am and close at 5pm Adults £10, Senior Citizens £9, Children £5, Family Ticket £25, Under 5’s Free • Vintage Cars & Motorcycles • Auto Jumble & Trade Stands • Family Entertainment - Plus much more • Refreshments & Bar • Free Parking • Advance Booking for Public Camping

All enquiries to Rally Secretary: Tel 01978 780749 • www.malpas-yesteryear-rally.co.uk

Kettering Vintage Rally & Steam Fayre Cranford NR KETTERING, NORTHANTS NN14 4AW OFF A14-J11 & A510

22nd & 23rd September 2018 Open 10am - 5pm Free Parking A GREAT WEEKEND OF FAMILY ENTERTAINMENT Adults £10, Senior £7 and Children (6-16) £7. Family (2+3) £21

Steam, Model Steam, Vintage Cars & Motorbikes, Classic Cars, Historic Commercials, Military & 999 Vehicles, Buses, Vintage Cycles, Stationary Engines, Models & Crafts Tent, Autojumble & Market Stalls, Awning & Working Displays, Arena Events, Fair Rides, Birds of Prey. Refreshments Available. Real Ales Festival. All enquiries phone: 01536 500164. Mobile 07840 065335 Email: cranfordrally@ntlworld.com www.ketteringvintagerally.co.uk SUPPORTING THE WARWICKSHIRE & NORTHAMPTONSHIRE AIR AMBULANCE (Registered Charity No. 1098874)

Consigning now for our next auction 1928 Norton CS1 490cc - consigned

Saturday 20th October 2018 SALES AND VALUATIONS UNDERTAKEN NATIONWIDE

01353 777767 • vintage@cheffins.co.uk

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AUGUST 2018 I 79

 SEND YOUR SMALL AD by post to PO Box 66, Bude EX23 9ZX, or email words and a pic to TP@realclassic.net

BUY AND SELL FOR FREE!

Send your Small Ad to the fabulously delicious Typing Person and it’ll appear in the very next issue of the magazine. A selection of spiffy bikes for sale will also be showcased on the Real-Classic.co.uk website. So send a splendid photo of your bike, side-on, clearly visible, as the best images will appear online. JPGs sent by email are perfect, or you can use our online form at Real-Classic.co.uk MODEL

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SUZUKI GW250 INAZUMA, 2014. Just carefully run in, 2500 dry miles, as new. Centrestand, carrier, top box, screen, battery charger connector. Datatagged. Light, easily manageable, quiet smooth motor. 80mph/80mpg. £2500. 01548 853072 S. Devon.

MATCHLESS G80, 1988. Carb stripped, cleaned and needle feathered to run better. Gas tank cleaned, Caswell coated, repainted. New battery, updated flasher. 2000 miles. Gold Star muffler. Dual disc brakes and electric start. Runs great. $7000. Louis, perfectheart7@ gmail.com

ROYAL ENFIELD 350cc CLIPPER, 1956, Top end overall, new tyres, rims, stainless spokes, carb, DVR2 voltage regulator. Good runner for £3250ovno. 01832 731844 evenings or 07580 249601, Northants

BSA B40WD, 1967. Exce condition. T&T May19. Rewired, elec ign, new Amal carb. New tyres, respoke and wheel bearings. Matching nos. Tinware excellent, pro respray. Clutch refurb. Recent head gasket and decoke. Rides beautifully. £3500. John, 07484 735527, Skegness

TRIUMPH TROPHY SPECIAL, 1965. Twin carb head with new Concentrics. Boyer ignition, 8-inch TLS Front brake, Hagon progressive shocks. Owned 6 years but now need space. £5000ono. 07990 553874, Staffordshire

DKW RT200VS, 1959. Good condition, low mileage, recently recommissioned. Quality German engineered 2-stroke. £2300ovno. Preston, 07891 389663

80 I AUGUST 2018

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AUGUST 2018 I 81

 SEND YOUR SMALL AD by post to PO Box 66, Bude EX23 9ZX, or email words and a pic to TP@realclassic.net

BUELL XB9. Upgraded to XB12. Braided brake lines, Renthal bars, stainless fastenings. Professionally painted. Excellent condition. Carefully maintained by experienced rider. Standard seat available, some spares. SORN. Will MoT for buyer. £3950. 01326 311577, Cornwall

TRIUMPH BONNEVILLE, 2002. 10,000mls from new, near mint condition. 800cc. MoT Oct 2018. Modern bike reliablity with classic looks and electric start! £4400ovno. Graham, 01268 771591. Essex

BMW R50, 1958. Rare beauty, loved by BMW enthusiasts. Excellent shape, starts at first or second kick, runs and idles greatly. Mechanically and cosmetically great. $8500. Located in Portland, Oregon: +503 420 0356

BSA B25 STARFIRE, 1969. Reg’d by the BSA factory, loaned to the organisers of the 1969 Milk Race & Scottish Vase B Team for 1969 ISDT. Many more details. Some work required to return to the road. £1900. 01628 676771, Berks

2 x MOTO GUZZI SPADA motorcycles. 1979 - £2300, and 1987 - £1850. Both with moderate mileage. Mick, 01694 722350, Shropshire

TRIUMPH TIGER T110 650, 1959, Matching numbers, very good condition. Has had £7800 spent on engine, gearbox, magneto at SRM Engineering. Excellent example, lots of paperwork / history. £9500. 07790 792268, East Sussex

MONTESA COTA 247, 1973. V5C in my name. 1 previous owner, good working order. £1500. 01767 650049

TRIUMPH TR6 650cc. Reg’d Jan 1971. Owned since 2004. Matching numbers, NOT oil in frame. Bottom half of engine and gearbox rebuilt 2017, new shells, bearings and bushes. Low level pipes included, starts first or second kick. £6950. Martyn, 0117 949 1957, near Bristol

AJS 18MS, 1956 500cc. Good solid bike. 12V, Alton generator, Thorspark ignition, not matching numbers. Reliable, good starter, serviced by Colin Flashman, reluctant sale, downsizing! £4000ono. Danny, Liskeard, Cornwall 01579 362940

ROYAL ENFIELD INTERCEPTOR, 1963. Factory fitted Airflow as demonstrator for RAC. Original logbook with unique history. Also 700 heads and barrels and lots more. £8000. 07770 833571, S. Wales

TRIUMPH T120 BONNEVILLE, 1967. Immaculate. Completely rebuilt. £8000. 07770 833571, S. Wales

ROYAL ENFIELD BULLET 500 EFI combination. 2016. 373 miles only. Sidecar GP Manx Watsonian Squire, new April 2018 (only covered 70 miles) with tonneau and steering damper. Showroom condition. £8000ono. 01278 459723, Somerset

82 I AUGUST 2018

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PHOTOS AND REPORTS AVAILABLE, DELIVERY AT COST

www.PembrokeshireClassics.com

CLASSIC BIKES ALWAYS WANTED, CASH PAID

84 H/D 1000 XLH Sportster, nice v-twin ...................................£3,995

64 Panther 120 Outfit ......... £7,500

84 Puch Maxi NK Zippy ........£895

76 Suzuki GT185, restored/mint .............................................£3,595

62 BSA A65 Star Flat Tracker .............................................£4,750

78 Honda CB400/4 Super Sports, 31k .......................................£3,500

79 Honda CBX1000, UK bike, 66k ............................................. £7,995

76 Suzuki TS125 project, V5C ................................................£995

90 Yamaha FS1 DX, runs really well .............................................£1,295

75 Suzuki GT750M, all original .............................................. £TBA

80 Honda CB400N S/Dream project....................................£995

52 Matchless G80S, nice bouncy single ...................................£4,500

99 Watsonian Squire D18 bike towing trailer .........................£995

59 BSA D7 Bantam, needs finishing ..................................£995

11 R/E 500 Bullet Electra, 1,500 miles, as new .......................£2,995

99 H/D Dyna Superglide FXD1450, superb..................................£6,995

Call ANTHONY 07866 637792 ALISTAIR 07794 100386 or 01834 860505 Viewing by Appointment

50 R/E Model G 350, great bike .............................................£4,500

60 Greeves 25DB 2T Sports Twin .............................................£4,250

52 BSA D1 125 Rigid, runs really well.......................................£2,250

64 James Captain 19 .........£1,395

27 Terrot Model F 250, runs well, V5c ......................................£4,750 59 AJS Model 16MS 350, usable single ...................................................... £3,500 63 BSA A50 Rickman Metisse scrambler, V5c............................ .£6,500 37 BSA B24 Empire Star, fast single .......................................................£7,500 59 BSA D7 Bantam project ........... £995 54 BSA D1 Bantam Plunger, nice usable bike ............................................... £1,895 65 BSA D7 Bantam field bike ........ £995 79 Can Am 250 Enduro, V5c....... £2,750 75 CZ 175, nice commuter, runs well ......................................................... £995 98 Ducati 916 ...................................£tba 63 Greeves 250 4T Essex Twin, superb ...................................................... £4,995 59 Greeves DB24 250 single, lovely bike ...................................................... £3,350 60 Greeves 25DB 2T Sports Twin ...................................................... £4,250 66 Greeves Anglian Trials........... £2,495 87 H/D 1100 Sportster ................. £3,995 90 Honda H100, restored ............. £1,450 73 Honda CT90................................£tba 67 Honda CT90................................£tba 82 Honda Camino DX, ride/restore. £295 80 Honda CB400N S/Dream project ......................................................... £995 86 Honda C90 Cub, drives well ...... £995 67 Honda CB450 B/Bomber, superb ..................................................... .£6,500 94 Kawasaki KR1S 250 twin, superb ..........................................................£tba 72 Kawasaki S2A 350 Triple, awesome bike ............................................... £6,250 85 Laverda SFC1000, fabulous/rare ................................................... .£15,995

52 Matchless G80S, nice usable bike ...................................................... £3,500 84 Montesa/Honda 349 Cota, V5c ...................................................... £1,695 75 Motobecane 49cc Special, V5C £995 90 MZ ETZ201, nice original single ...................................................... £1,150 91 MZ ETZ301 in cafe trim, quick single ......................................................... £995 68 Norton Atlas 750, restored, bargain ...................................................... £6,995 58 Norton Dominator 99, superb .£7,500 61 R/E Crusader Sports 250, ride/ restore........................................... £2,500 17 R/E 500 efi Bullet, 50 miles, as new ...................................................... £3,995 Pre 65 Rickman Metisse T100, proper job .....................................................£tba 99 Squire D18 towing bike trailer . £995 85 Sinclair C5, restored .................. £995 76 Suzuki TS125 project, 75% complete, V5c .................................................. £500 05 Suzuki SV650, nice honest v-twin ...................................................... £1,750 80 Suzuki T250 Beamish ............ £2,495 67 Triumph T100S, matching, runs well ...................................................... £4,500 61 Triumph 5TA Speed Twin, matching ...................................................... £4,250 73 Triumph T120R in Cafe trim, as new ...................................................... £6,995 52 Trojan Mini Motor/Hercules pushbike ......................................... £995 57 Velocette MAC 350 ................. £5,995 Pre 74 Yamaha MX250, superb .... £2,350 83 Yamaha T80 Townmate, tatty, mot’d. ........................................................ .£595

96 M/Guzzi 1100i California, superb..................................£3,495

48 BSA B31 350 Rigid .......£5,500

67 Honda CB450 B/Bomber, superb. .................................£6,500

Lots more bikes in stock! Visit www.pembrokeshireclassics.com for more bikes to ride or restore

Unit A4, Northfleet Industrial Estate, Lower Road, Northfleet, Kent DA11 9SN

Clarke’s Classics

1971 TR6C..........................................£7750

1967 TR6 .........................................£10,500

BSA Rocket Goldie Replica .............................£9000 James Captain 1956........................................ £1400 Norton Commando Fastback 1971 Restored £11000 TRIBSA T100 500cc Pre-unit..........................£5750 Triumph T100 Daytona, 1974 Good .................£5000 Triumph 6T Trophy look-alike ...........................£5750 Triumph TR6 1967 Restored......................... £10500

British & American bikes always wanted. Call Phil now or fax on 01322 383431. Evenings 01732 822475.

E-mail: info@clarkesclassics.co.uk

1963 BSA A65....................................£5500

1970 T120V........................................ £7,750

Triumph TR6C 1971 Restored ........................£7750 Triumph T120 US Spec, 1966 Restored......... £10500 Triumph T120 US Spec, 1967 Restored......... £10500 Triumph T120 US Spec, 1968 Restored......... £10500 Triumph T120 US Spec, 1970 Restored......... £10500 Triumph T120V, 1972 Restored........................£7750 Triumph T140 1976 ..........................................£4500

Please visit: www.clarkesclassics.co.uk

BRITISH BIKES ALWAYS WANTED - BRITISH BIKES CAN BE FOUND TO MATCH YOUR REQUIREMENTS - SHIPPING AT COST

Thruxton Replica ..............................£9000 Classic Motorcycles; Norton, Triumph, BSA, Harley Davidson and many more. British and American Bikes are our Speciality. BSA Rocket Goldstar replica for .....£9000

Andy

Est 1972

Tiernan

1930 AJS R12 250cc attractive lightweight ....................................................................... £7850 1950 AJS 7R 350cc the classic racer ............................................................................. £24,000 1929 AJS Big Port 350cc late saddle tank......................................................................... £9000 1955 Ariel NH 350cc expensively refurbished.................................................................... £5850 1939 Ariel Red Hunter 350cc nicely restored..................................................................... £8850 1940 Ariel WNG 350cc nicely refurbished.......................................................................... £7000 1971 Bond Bug 850cc for restoration .................................................................................. £4250 1952 Bown Autocycle 98cc rare Welsh lightweight ........................................................... £2000 1951/52 BSA C11 250cc choice of 2 ........................................................................£2650/£3250 1957 BSA C12 250cc ex Irish Police.................................................................................. £2000 1947/58 BSA B31 350cc choice of 2 ...................................................................... £5250/£3750 1927 BSA L 350cc OHV ultimate sporty flat tanker ........................................................ £12,000 1914 BSA K 500cc Pioneer 3 speed chain/belt .............................................................. £18,500 1959 BSA M21 500cc paintwork could be improved......................................................... £3500 1933 BSA W6 500cc attractive side valve ......................................................................... £7250 1926 BSA H26 557cc nice flat tank ................................................................................... £9500 1931 BSA Sloper 557cc SV long history............................................................................ £8200 1920 Clyno 269cc handsome vintage lightweight ............................................................. £7250 1939 Coventry Eagle 122cc/148cc choice of 2 ..................................................... £3250/£3850 1949 Douglas T35 350cc recently refurbished lots of bills ................................................ £6000 1939 Excelsior Autobyk 98cc nice pre-war autocycle ......................................................... £1850 1932 Francis Barnett 150cc presentable in black.............................................................. £3850 c1940 Gnome & Rhone 745cc running for restoration rare French military....................... £9500 1965 Heinkel Tourist 175cc quality German scooter.......................................................... £5000 1940 HRD JAP Special 500cc customers bike .............................................................. £26,650 1949 James Autocycle 98cc early post war example........................................................ £1600 1956 New Hudson 98cc smart autocycle .......................................................................... £1850 1951 Nimbus model C 750cc 4 cylinder Danish machine .............................................. £10,000 1939 Norman 122cc rare pre-war lightweight.................................................................... £3000 1950 Norton 500T replica 500cc rides well on the road ...................................................... £6850 1927 Norton 16H 500cc fine looking example .................................................................. £23,250 1939 Norton ES2 500cc pre war plunger ....................................................................... £11,500 1960 Norton 88 500cc good useable slimline Dommie .................................................... £6350 c1962 Norton Inter Café racer Special 500cc ................................................................... £16,500 1955 Panther 65 250cc tidy bike........................................................................................ £3750 1954 Panther 75 350cc handles well ................................................................................. £4500 1928 Peugeot P105 350cc sporting advanced design ...................................................... £7250 1926 Raleigh 2 1/4hp vintage lightweight .......................................................................... £6000 1923 Rex Acme Minor 170cc rare 2 stroke lightweight ..................................................... £5350 1949 Royal Enfield G 350cc nicely presented.................................................................... £4450 1940 Royal Enfield K 1140cc one of the last made ........................................................ £27,500 1938 Royal Enfield KX 1140cc interchangeable wheels ................................................. £27,500 1938 Rudge Rapid 250cc mellow bike............................................................................... £9250 1939 Rudge Sports 250cc nice in black ............................................................................ £8750 1938 Sunbeam 250cc older restoration ............................................................................. £5250 1910 Triumph 3 1/2hp handsome veteran ...................................................................... £13,750 1966 Triumph T20 200cc French army Tiger Cub fully equipped, choice of 3 ....... £4650/£5000 1923 Triumph Junior 250cc presentable machine ............................................................... £5000 1948 Triumph 3T 350cc nice old bike ................................................................................ £6750 1925 Triumph P 500cc attractive vintage........................................................................... £9250 1958 Velocette Valiant 200cc show winner ........................................................................ £4250 1959 Velocette KSS special 350cc Suffolk bike.............................................................. £12,500 1960 Velocette Venom 500cc Vee-line smart in black/red ................................................. £8850 1923 Verus 350cc SV unique machine............................................................................... £9250

For current stock plus loads of info on all bikes see our website:-

www.andybuysbikes.com • Tel: Andy or Jo 01728 724321

07802 896114 • Email andybuysbikes@hotmail.com • Bikes shipped Europewide Viewing by appt only: Old Railway Station, Station Road, Framlingham, Woodbridge, IP13 9EE

www.drclassic.co.uk (Burton-upon-Trent) Tel: 01283 536379 Post-war British & German Classic bike enthusiasts

1968 Triton 650cc Wideline, prof rebuilt, stunning ................ £9950

1960 Panther 120 Outfit original 1968 Triumph Tiger 90, unrestored - amazing........ £7950 matching numbers beauty £5750

1977 Norton MKIII Commando E-start beauty ................... £9250

1954 BSA C11G 250cc good 1961 Matchless G2S 250cc, runner ............................... £2450 original machine ...............£2500

“CLASSIC & VINTAGE MOTORCYCLES ALWAYS WANTED, ANY CONDITION INCLUDING BASKET CASES!”

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WANTED! WANTED! CLASSIC MOTORCYCLES ALWAYS WANTED!

Bikes & collections bought outright for cash! In all conditions. Delivery & Collection Service

D.R. Classic Motorcycles Ltd. VIEWING STRICTLY BY APPOINTMENT ONLY!!!

TEL 01283 536379 MOB 07889 292536 richard@drclassic.co.uk Many more bikes!! Range of 50-60s & 70’s classics always in stock – Check out the website!

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AUGUST 2018 I 85

 SEND YOUR SMALL AD by post to PO Box 66, Bude EX23 9ZX, or email words and a pic to TP@realclassic.net

BSA BANTAM / VILLIERS 4T. Green laner, engineer built special, correct documentation. Nice tidy machine, reliable, rides well. 12 Volt electrics, some spares. MoT and tax exempt. £1700. Lewis, 07922 280837, North East

BIKES

HONDA 200 BENLY, V-reg, 27k miles. With log book. Honda 250 W-reg, no log book, new tank. Suzuki 400 scooter, T-reg. No log book. Yamaha 125. No tank, no log book. 61 reg. I have the number. All garage finds. Offers for the lot. 07714 012458, Cheshire BITS

HONDA CB400F, late model frame including fork yokes, stands and swinging arm. Has VIN plate and old style V5. Also box of misc. bits including good front mudguard/stays, air-cleaner box, tool tray and rear mudguard plastic section, rear light assembly, lower fork legs with springs and damper assemblies and a few other bits and bobs. All serviceable but in need of cleaning/renovation. Sorry, will not split but need to clear so price negotiable. Buyer collects. 01278 420545, Somerset GUZZI 850 LE MANS PHF36 carb parts. Pair of 36mm inlet manifolds. Pair of ‘mousetrap’ carb tops, complete and polished. Pair of transparent (Perspex?) float chambers. Twin cable remote choke lever and brackets. 4 manifold insulating gaskets, 36mm. 2 throttle brackets. £50. The lot. Pair original electric horns, £20. 1000S rear light lens, fits many models, new, £10. Martin, 01566 784526, Devon TOWBAR to fit BMW K75, £50. Chrome handlebars, brand new, to fit BMW K75RT, £30. Gilera Fuoco higher screen, as new, £100. 01406 370930, Lincs

VELOCETTE LE Mk III, 1965. Restored in 2011. Wheels rebuilt, Honda coils, lots of stainless fasteners. Rewired, body panels powder-coated. New battery, some spares and accessories. £1800. 01373 473084, Somerset

FRANCIS-BARNETT FALCON 74, 1956. Four speed gearbox. Complete professional engine rebuild 2012. Powder coated frame, wheels rebuilt, new exhaust system, complete rewire, seat reupholstered, some spares and accessories. £2000. 01373 473084

NSU QUICKLY fuel tank, professionally resprayed 2-pack, beige, £25. Immaculate. Matchless / AJS lightweight headlamp shell, resprayed black, £20. James Captain K7 headlamp shell, needs refinishing, £10. Triumph unit oil tank, needs refinishing, £15. Yamaha RDLC fuel tank, with tap. Light surface rust blisters but sound. Needs refinishing. £60. All plus postage. 01793 616037, Wilts BSA A10 cylinder head, 67-1122, plus barrels and std pistons. Concentric Mk2 carb, R2934. Amal Concentric 32mm carb pair, c/w velocity stacks, inlet manifolds, pair, suit A65L. BSA A65L crankcases plus cylinder head, finned rocker box. Clutch basket 68-3231, cam 68-473. 01772 783774, Lancs NORMAN B3 SPORTS model. Original dualseat in excellent condition, recently recovered in black vinyl. Multi sprung and with fixing brackets. Will fit B1 and B2 models. £65, will post. 07960 447592 or 01865 762859

footrest stabilisers, heavy duty trailer tyres, spare wheel. Complete with quality hold down straps. Ready to load and go! Great little trailer! £225ono. March Cambs, 01354 652835 23 RACE PROGRAMMES from 1966 to 1991, also 56 Motor Cycle Sports from 1970 to 1976 and 16 Motor Cyclist Illustrated from 1959 to 1962. Offers. Also a large number of motorcycle and car books. David, 01395 514820 or mandynewman55@icloud.com

WANTS

WHEREABOUTS of a Norton Model 19S, 600cc, 1956 Ex Forestry Commission. Reg SYH 808 sold in Suffolk 2012 to New Zealand buyer. Would be interested in future possible purchase, if considered. Is it still out there? 01284 753974, 07783 277629 or simonrwhitnall@gmail.com BATS

WELL BUILT SINGLE motorcycle trailer, built-in ramp and adjustable height

TP’S TOP CHAPS!

This has been a bumper month for chocolates and other treats – perfect, really for salad season, wouldn’t you say? Shavings of frozen orange choc on my ice cream thanks to Andrew; refreshing mint nibbles from Basil; lovely Lindt from Les; salad leaves and Montezuma’s dark from Tony (well, maybe I’m exaggerating just a tiny little bit about that); Ron’s generous gift token paid for some fizzy pop which went down a treat with the jelly candy chocs from Peter! Luckily for me, RCHQ is like a sauna at the moment so all those calories have just melted away in the sweltering heat. THANK YOU, one and all! Typing Person 86 I AUGUST 2018

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AUGUST 2018 I 87

SUPER ROCKET! A tale of two Beezers. Well… mostly about one of them. Rob Davies writes… Photos by Rob Davies, Pete and Robin Horton

88 I AUGUST 2018

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BSA A10 REBUILD

he Super Rocket may be the ultimate version of the A10 family, though some say that the Rocket Gold Star is the finest. Having said that, the RGS is only a Super Rocket engine in a Goldie frame. They say – and I have no idea who ‘they’ are – that the RGS handles better, but being a humble scribe with no pretensions to having above average riding skills, I probably wouldn’t notice the difference. The story goes that a customer of BSA Banbury dealer Eddie Dow, asked if he could have that special combination of Goldie frame, but with the twin engine. Dow put the idea to BSA, who then went on to produce a limited number. So today there are a few original Rocket Goldies still around, for mucho money, as well as lots of replicas, not quite so mucho money, but well worth having. It’s a fine thing – at least it can be – when two gentlemen from the very same motorcycle club decide to build the very same motorcycle, and use the very same colour scheme to boot. With good cooperation, they can share useful technical information and learn from the other’s mistakes. Or… it could introduce a bit of rivalry into an otherwise happy relationship, resulting in that ‘my bike’s better than yours’ syndrome. So, did Mick and Pete come to blows when their bikes were completed? We’ll see, but I’m not going to get involved. This is a short story of Pete’s bike. But first… Personally, I have always had a soft spot for BSA’s A10, having built a chopped version back in 1971. Well it was only a year after Easy Rider came out… The big question is… would I want another one? Mmmm, I’ll have to think about that one. Maybe these prime examples will tempt me, and then again maybe I can scrounge a go on one of theirs? You see I remember

AUGUST 2018 I 89

the good things about the model; the lovely, nay gorgeous, shape of the timing chest and the nice low down power of that classic 650 twin. However, discarding the desire to don sentimental rose tinted glasses, I also recall its foibles, and the ignominy of having to push it several miles when the fibre teeth on the magneto pinion stripped. A poor design if ever I saw one. You wouldn’t catch the Japanese making cogs out of fibre! Ah, you say – isn’t breaking down on the open road and effecting an on the spot repair one of the joys of owning a classic Brit? To which I emphatically reply No - it isn’t! Also, I have to add that my particular A10 was a BA10; the one with the bolt-on gearbox, and not your common DA10. So no messing about there, no moving gearboxes every 50 miles to keep the primary chain tight. To be honest – and I’m sure that some expert out there can tell me the answer to this – why BSA would produce what was almost a unit construction engine and then go and separate them? But that was all so many years ago, and my BA10 was a plunger frame anyhow, and not the later models we have this month. I must point out that the only real difference between Mick’s SR and Pete’s SR is that the former is an original – and the buff logbook proves it – while Pete’s is a replica. Poor Pete. Yes, the latter was born a lowly Golden Flash, the one with the less than sprightly performance – in case that’s what Engine and gearbox are now in place, and with the handlebars fitted the whole thing can be wheeled around. Progress!

Left: Pete’s box of bits, all laid out and somewhere to go

Below: The sturdy A-range frame, back from the powder coaters and now kitted out with new front legs and rear shocks

BSA A10 REBUILD

A good view of the gearbox and its adjuster, the swinging arm pivot, the flywheel and cams. The magneto has turned out nice again

Pete’s bike this time, with black faced Smiths clocks and the ammeter set into the headlight. Choke on the right side

This is an authentic fuel tank, and Mick has put his choke lever on the left-hand bar

Battery and toolbox fitted: the sturdiness of the rear frame is evident

The alloy head of Mick’s Super Rocket; cast iron barrels. Exhaust pipes flow one to the right and one to the left – there is also a Siamese pipe arrangement which some owners prefer

you were after. And yet Pete decided to go the full Monty and elevate its status to Top Dog. But was the BSA ever as good as the Bonny? I shall be addressing that question in a later article. But a bit more about the A10 story; I did some digging. In 1952, two years after the Earls Court release of the 650 twin, a certain Mr McNulty of the Auto Cycle Union visited BSA Motorcycles and selected three Star Twin models (500cc A7 twins) at random from the production line and locked them safely away until the September of that year. They were then taken out of what can only be described as motorcycle purgatory to be put through a most rigorous test. Who dreamed this one up I can’t say. Anyway, each bike had to undertake a journey of almost 5000 miles, not kilometres, to Oslo via Geneva, and participate in a six day trials event in Austria. Phew! So it’s at this juncture we can be rightly

Pete’s timing side is certainly highly polished – and is that a brass fuel tap? Air filter fitted to this bike’s carb along with a chromed drip tray. The Indian made tank certainly looks as good as its earlier Brit counterpart, shame about the dimensions

proud of our BSA twins, for they completed this daunting task without the loss of a single mark –the only British team to do so – winning the Maudes Trophy; not bad eh? I then turned my attention to the workshop manual, the invaluable handmaiden for the budding and veteran restorer. It said, in the very first sentence, ‘Periodic maintenance is a continuous process that commences’ – now get this – ‘immediately the machine is used.’ Ha. So

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the fettling begins as soon as you leave the showroom. I digress; back to the plot. The Golden decade Flashes by, at the end of which time the original Golden Flash had been rather overshadowed the slightly more glorious Super Rocket, with its alloy head, high compression pistons and high lobe cams. This in turn is abused, exposed to the vagaries of the Brit summer and winter, and then taken to pieces and left in frustration. More winters go by until our hero Pete buys

AUGUST 2018 I 91

the rolling chassis and box of bits in 2015. He promptly takes his precious cargo home, and stares at it for several hours until receiving the inspiration to make a start. But where? Swiftly the frame is stripped and cleaned of all its clutter, and the nasty job of removing the old swinging arm bushes is attempted. The manual succinctly reminds us that the bushes are a tight fit – if ‘tight’ is a strong enough adjective – and cannot be removed without risk of damage unless the correct equipment is available. This is where the fainthearted give up; but not our Pete. No, he hands it over to his mate, sensible lad, who burns the rubber coated bushes out – because they are indeed a real pig to remove. Getting new silentbloc bushes – that’s the correct technical term – in place can also test the patience of the finest fettler. In this case, Pete put some useful lube on the bushes and with a threaded bar passing right through the swinging arm, wound them into place with a spanner. The frame was shot blasted ready for powder coating. It’s a good frame, the one used on the swinging arm A range models; sturdy and reliable. BSA were also well proud of their frame; stating in a bit of advertising blurb that it didn’t rely on the engine to give strength to the bike. That’s probably a good thing. The only other part of the frame that required serious repair was the centrestand.

Here the pivot holes had worn oval with the weight of the bike and constant use. This needed a bit of welding to put right. New shrouds for the front forks were purchased at the Stafford Show, while the sliders were swapped for the more correct type that have retaining cups for the front wheel rather than those where a spindle goes straight through and screws in. The bike came with one of those replica tanks from India, loosely fitted, as the original had obviously had its day. Pete prayed that this fuel tank would be OK. It looked OK, it felt OK! It was made of metal and it had the tap in just the right spot, but anecdotes about the unreliability of these items abounded through the ranks of the motorcycle club. Aftermarket parts like this can be a two-

Provenance. Authenticating the original spec of the Super Rocket

edged sword. They can be well made, but, they can have their little idiosyncrasies – inaccurate dimensions for one. Pete lowered the tank into place over the rubber spacers to find that it wobbled wildly from side to side. A brief look underneath proved that the gap between the inner surfaces was an inch greater than standard. A spacer for the bungs was made – problem one sorted. Then when the tank badges were offered up, the fittings were wrong – problem two required another bit of fettling. Finally, when the tank came to be painted – it was chrome plated, by the way – and measurements taken, it was discovered to be over an inch wider. You can’t do a lot about that – you just open your legs a bit more; problem three well sorted. The crankcases were sand blasted

Red is always a winning shade for motorcycles, but it’s hand signals only when out on this classic. Check out the registration on the old buff book. Yes, it’s the same bike

92 I AUGUST 2018

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BSA A10 REBUILD

Handsome pre-unit BSA primary drive side, showing off a new horn. These can be really overpriced, so it’s best to shop around

Mick has fitted a bell mouth to his Monobloc carburettor, but his alloy head isn’t quite as clean as Pete’s. Boy, are we stirring up trouble with this comparison!

– and thoroughly washed out afterwards – before the bottom end of the engine was handed over to Harthills of Bilston for all the usual work of regrinds, new bearings, etc. At this stage, some guys choose to go for the SRM bearing conversion. The timing side bearing on an A10/A7 is of the phosphor bronze plain bush type. These bearings give excellent service – IF the oil is changed regularly and IF the sludge trap is cleaned out regularly. The other disadvantage of the bush is that a gentle running-in period needs to be observed so that it can be polished and hardened ready for more strenuous use. Pete was capable of restoring his own gearbox, but he did hand the dynamo and magneto over to Tony Cooper for a rewind to 12V and a rebuild to provide reliable sparks. As for carburetion; the original single Monobloc was used. Unlike its Bonnie counterpart, which as we all know has two carbs, the performance of the SR was maintained with a single carb feeding through a Y-shaped manifold. Apparently, some brave customers in the US did get rid of the manifold and fitted twin carbs; whether the performance was in any way enhanced I have no idea. As for this engine, Pete did have to fiddle with the carb to achieve smooth running. ‘I first tried all the different needle settings and

What the Super Rocket is all about: Mick on the move

still the mixture was too rich. And then I tried a remedy that I had seen others do to correct this problem. I filed away a small section of the cutaway of the throttle slide.’ ‘You filed what?’ I asked, horrified. ‘I filed away some of the metal to improve the air flow. Each slide is stamped with a number related to its cutaway. I put some masking tape about 1/32” from the edge of the cutaway and filed that away, thus allowing a great amount of air in. And Guess what? It worked.’ ‘Well I’m glad you knew what you were doing…’ I replied. The six-spring clutch was duly refitted for regular riding. It never was the finest piece of equipment with its fabric lined insert plates, and these were swiftly swapped for Surflex. In a move to greater modernity, the whole clutch and drive arrangement can be dumped – I mean exchanged – for the Bob Newby belt system, claimed by many to be both quieter and better. Pete finished his rebuild in early 2017, and has been enjoying his classic BSA twin ride since that date, and he and Mick are still the best of pals – until this article comes out that is. Now what was that important question I raised earlier? Oh, I remember: what is the best bike, the 650 Bonneville or the A10? I’ll be in touch…

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The 7-inch rear hub was never a great braking system. The heavily valanced mudguards are sometimes replaced by some owners with the slimmer chrome type – but these are the truly authentic ones. The cable operated foot brake system is also weak, and is shifted over from the left to the right side via a spindle through the swinging arm pivot

The toolbox nicely balances the look and feel of the right side oil tank. Seat cover by Leighton’s of Birmingham

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AUGUST 2018 I 95

Photos by Stu Thomson

Italian Rare Bit 96 I AUGUST 2018

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MI-VAL 125 GS

PART

THREE

Stu Thomson plainly enjoys a challenge. Not content with restoring a Gilera Giubileo to the road, he’s now tackled something even less usual – at least in the UK. And here’s how… Subscribe and save: www.Real-Classic.co.uk/subs

AUGUST 2018 I 97

The original Bakelite petrol cap that disintegrated on removal. I don’t know my own strength…

My alloy / Bakelite cap, not quite the same as the original but very similar. Made with my ACH – Analogue Controlled Hands, as opposed to CNC!

A side view of the cap

Stage 4. Making parts, painting, cycle parts

the top and put a breather hole in it. I put the hole at the top so that the rain would not run in. Not long after it was fitted my friend said the bike was misbehaving and sometimes would cut out when warm. He checked the electrics and all seemed to be well. I did not realise that he ran most of the time with a tank bag… you guessed it, the bag covered the breather hole! Hence the problem. So I repositioned the hole to the side and all was well. If a similar thing happens with this one I will do the same. Next on the list were the front and rear wheel spindles, with associated adjusters and the nuts and washers – all made from stainless steel and with the same threads as original. I changed the design of the rear wheel spindle so that it would be removable from either side of the machine, so the chain could be left intact on wheel removal. To ensure this, a precise hollow spacer is required to fit between the bearings. As the swinging arm shaft was in good order along with the bearings and there was no play (good design with easy lubrication from both ends) I left well alone. The side clearance adjustment is via shims: not quite as good as the Guzzi Lodola which has an almost Vernier adjustment.

Painting, cycle parts

Above: The original tank logos, painted through a template / mask I think and now quite damaged and faded

Above: The tank and those rather complex transfers after my patience with the scalpel and the lacquer

As with all rebuilds there is quite a list of things to make. I decide at the outset that I will make parts from stainless steel / alloy where suitable to keep the bike looking good in all weathers and to make it maintenance friendly. I will also keep the box of bits I replaced. First on my list was the petrol tank cap. The existing one was made from a Bakelite material and very, very brittle – in just trying to undo the cap it collapsed in my hand. Rather unobtainable and probably not ethanol proof… So I decided to make a replica from aluminium alloy, copy the shape and use the top part of the cap with the MIVAL logo/breather hole and embed it into the design (almost looks like it came from the factory!). In addition, to ensure good sealing I acquired some ethanol-proof 3mm rubber (viton) sheet to make the cap seal. I really don’t trust the unleaded these days not to ruin the paintwork. I made an alloy petrol cap for a Morini 3½ for one of my friends. The existing lockable cap was made from the dreaded mazak and was collapsing. The cap I made I sloped to

Right: Logos as advertised. The red parts are actually clear to let the tank colour shine through

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Later than normal in a rebuild, I start work on the frame and cycle parts. The condition of most parts is pretty good with no great filling or repairs required, just some brazing and small strengthening repairs to mudguard cracks and holes. The seat mounts on two locations at the front on the frame and on top of the mudguard at the rear, so I brazed a 10g plate over the mudguard locating area to give it more strength. I decide that I will have the frame, swinging arm, tank, battery box and mudguards powder coated. This acts as the base coat which I can flat and coat with 2k to get the best and consistent finish that in future can always be touched up as needed. Actually, the frame and swinging arm after coating are pretty good, with not much if any filling required. A couple of small dents are evident on the tank so this needs some work, but on the plus side it is single coloured so no complex two colours are required with fancy lining stripes. The inside of the tank needs some minor rust removal, so out with the battery charger and washing soda! I de-rusted the inside of the tank, treated it with a rust inhibitor, and elected at this

Above: The completed tank is actually a deeper red than this – a trick of the light in my workshop. Shown with the new alloy cap fitted

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MI-VAL 125 GS Wheels. Now here lies a story…

Two tyres on the one rim. Saves getting punctures I suppose. Quite a challenge to get them on (and off)

How many tyres does one bike need? Four, it would seem. Four tyre drive?

point not to use a tank sealer, working on the assumption that the petroil mix would stave off any further deterioration. I coated the tank with 3 coats of 2k Ruby Red, which at the moment seems to be my favourite colour when rebuilding Italian Bikes, then flatted the surface down using 2500 wet and dry to get a super smooth finish, prior to application of the transfers to the matt surface. To obtain the transfers for the tank I sent sample drawings to a couple of UK suppliers, but nearly 12 months later they have not been able to replicate the designs. Probably because the demand would be so low for ‘MI-VAL’ transfers. I remind them on a monthly basis but... One of the problems with rebuilding a rare-ish bike. So I bought some transfers from an Italian supplier (mototransfers.it €40) and I was initially pleased with them as when they arrived they looked good. But the transfers

were not of the usual vinyl type where the logo is left behind when the outer tape is peeled off. These were self-coloured and required deft use of a scalpel to remove the clear parts, leaving the printed logos in place and let the tank colour show through. This was a really difficult and painstaking process. Not quite the same quality and spec as previous transfers I have fitted from both the VMCC and Classic Transfers. The transfers were then given three coats of 2k lacquer with 30 minute intervals and some changes to the spray pattern and mix to seal them. Another delicate process to ensure the transfers do not bubble or peel during the painting process. So far quite successful but traumatic! The transfers on tanks always seem to go through combined radii and are not very flexible. Sometimes it is easier to separate the transfers into several parts and install each part independently.

The next job on my list was to rebuild the wheels with stainless spokes. Some MI-VAL machines were fitted with black spokes similar to the Moto Guzzi Lodola (a previous rebuild) but I thought I will go for fuss-free, easy to clean stainless. But... The first stage was to remove the tyres. There did not appear to be an inner tube but the tyre seemed quite stiff on the rim. Try as I might I could not budge the tyre on the rear rim without bending it! In the end I cut through the tyre with a hacksaw and to my surprise there were two tyres on the rim – with no inner tube. As I’d suspected the same was evident for the front tyre assembly as well – two on the one rim. The end result of having these doubled-up, rather solid tyres on the rims was to make the rims anything but round – in fact they were closer to octagonal! I put the wheels in my rebuilding jig and they were not only not circular but were quite bent sideways in places. I made up some wooden formers on the band saw and tried to correct the misalignment with gentle encouragement (a rubber mallet) but I was disappointed with the results and had reluctantly, to admit defeat. I still have the rims if someone wants a challenge! I took careful measurements prior to stripping the wheels to ensure the offsets could be maintained on rebuild, using either new or the old rims. After searching around I made the decision to install new alloy 19”x2” rims which I bought from BEB Meccanica in Italy at a very good price. As I was also going to rebuild another bike with 18” rims (a Bianchi Bernina) I ordered four rims to reduce overall postage costs. Spokes I got from Wyldes in Leeds who were very helpful. They appear to be to all intents and purposes Borrani quality but without the

Above: Front single-sided hub cleaned up nicely. Good quality castings Left: The rear drive with the cush rubbers cover plate painted black instead of chromed and with temporary suspension units. I will try to get better quality units – if I can find them!

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AUGUST 2018 I 99

Above: Lower fork shrouds, made in stainless steel, along with a new speedo drive (from a Morini, I think) and a pick-up for the obligatory bicycle speedo Above: The upper and lower steering head bearing holders

logo, and they are of excellent build quality. They are also somewhat stronger than the rims that were originally fitted to the MI-VAL, which on inspection have a very thin section to them. This may be one of the reasons for the misshapen state – apart from the double tyre issue. The hubs polished up nicely, but the parts that were chromed I opted to paint 2k silver so that they could be touched up in future. The big problem with chroming is that although it looks nice when new it is porous, and keeping it looking good throughout the British seasons is difficult. I tend to ride all year round in all weathers. If I lived next to the coast, like the RealClassic bods in Bude, the situation would be even worse. Also in my experience to date it is difficult to find a chrome plater that is both good and reasonably priced. I also installed sealed wheel bearings instead of the plain bearings which used felt to hold in the grease and keep out the water and dust. Sealed bearings are not original but are superior to the original fitment and maintenance-free. When I rebuilt the wheels with the new rims I found that they were very true and well made with only a small misalignment where the rim welds were, which in my experience to date

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is pretty normal even with expensive rims. All in all, a very satisfactory result and I would use them again. Just a small modification to the long spoke length was required due to the dimples in the new rims being at a slightly different angle and fact that the new rims are of thicker material. The MI-VAL originals had the dimplings more centre directed and the new rims were designed for full-with hubs with both hub sides being the same diameter. The forks were in reasonable condition, just small imperfections on the surfaces – which were not chromed. I repaired these with superglue, using an interesting technique I found on YouTube. When set it forms a very hard surface for filling small imperfections. This meant that I did not need the expensive regrind and chrome. Originally they were not chromed, but when stripping the forks I realised one of the fork springs was in two parts, so I sent a sample (the good one!) to Alberta Springs and two new bouncy fork springs arrived very quickly at a very reasonable cost. They do seem rather firm though. Maybe they will get softer with use. I replaced the seals in the forks with modern oil seals, actually rotary oil seals but they seem to work quite well. The old ones were bits of rubber with coil springs, felt and circlips. I estimated the amount and grade of fork oil as there was no data in the manual but if it is

wrong I’ll have to strip the forks or turn the bike upside down to drain it! There is no drain plug, just like some modern bikes. The lower fork shrouds were chromed steel, and the chrome had worn and was very rusty so I made new ones from stainless tube. The most difficult part was machining the very fine thread (0.8mm pitch X 40mm) but they turned out OK in the end. To do this, the tool has to be very sharp to ensure that the thread is cut as opposed to expanding the thin tube. I also put two holes in the top of the tube and made a special tool to screw them into position. The steering head bearing housings had lost their chrome externally, but the bearing surfaces were OK. I considered taper rollers, but on this bike there is not enough space even to replace one as the taper rollers are quite deep relative to ball races so I retained the existing set-up. But I did make machined alloy housings and pressed the races into them, then pressed the assembly back into the headstock. The pillion footrests were made from pressed steel and did not look too well made, so I made some new folding footrests from dural which look a little more substantial (in the unlikely event that I should carry a pillion).

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NEXT TIME: Wiring and … does it run?

‘Normous

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AUGUST 2018 I 101

In June, the world comes to Warwickshire and Northamptonshire, so PUB does not have to go far for amusement.

assington – oh dear, PUB forgot Cassington! Boo. From the RC Facebook pages she sees that there was a Parilla there too, B44 Clive would like to have looked at that, as he is working on one right now. Never mind, there will be another year, and meantime there has been plenty of other activity and opportunity to ogle bikes since last month. With VMCC Banbury ahead it was time to awaken the 1897 Leon Bollée from its winter slumbers and see whether it would condescend to run. After dragging it out, a bit of oiling and greasing, and filling with petrol and electricity it took only a few pulls to chug into life. The Daventry Motorcycle Festival, whose organisers PUB assists, occurs early in June, so offers a good opportunity for a test run and to put it on show. That went well enough, but marshalling duty from early morning set-up to late afternoon clear-up before being able to fire it up again and go home was very tiring. The Sunbeam Club’s Rose of the Shires run took place the following day, based at Stoke Bruerne. PUB really should enter this event (open to all pre-war machines, not just veterans), but for a gentle, restful, day

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of recuperation PUB merely went along to watch, and to give her 1926 HRD a bit of much needed exercise in the process. The Rose of the Shires run usually includes the fierce climb of Newnham Hill as an option on its route in commemoration of its use in the early motorcycle days for hill climb competitions – around 1 in 6 maximum depending on which side. Ixion relates in his writings how at the 1908 event ‘Scott, in ten minutes, conquered the motorcycle world’. Scott started his machine with a kickstart, instead of run-and-jump, and then used its 2-speed gear to purr up the hill. The same hill was central to the Women’s Cycle Race stage that finished in Daventry just a few days after the vintage bike run. Those cyclists had to crest this hill twice, with no engine, although their bicycles did feature 22 gears. The hill would have been an excellent place to watch their struggles, but PUB wished to see the actual stage finish. What made the strenuous climb even more critical was that only front runners at the top had any real chance of a win with the line less than 3km away. A second advantage of going to the town finish was that PUB could wander around the paddock and observe the bike

engineering. These racing pushbikes look relatively ordinary, more or less diamond framed and rigid (unlike mountain bikes) but made of alloy and composites. What did come as a surprise was the spoking patterns in the wheels. PUB is used to motorcycles of 40 and 36 spokes, although older bicycles often used only 32 in front wheels. The ladies’ racing bikes did not stick to this ‘multiples of four’ rule (which comes from equal numbers of crossed spokes on each side of a wheel). Rear wheels with disc brakes (and some disc fronts) did generally conform, because tangent spoking (the use of angled and crossed spokes) are required to transmit torque from sprocket or disc to the rim. However, some of the front wheels, utilising rim brakes, used fully radial spokes, which only requires an even number although 20 was actually common. More interesting were the rim braked rear wheels which featured 21 spokes – work that out. The reason was that on the sprocket side, to accommodate torque, crossed (tangent) spokes were used, ie. in pairs. But on the opposite side the spokes were radial, and reduced in number to one radial per crossed

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JACQUELINE BICKERSTAFF

Scotts were not the only water-cooled twostroke in the pre-war era. Here is an Excelsior (at the Rose of the Shires run), fitted with a Villiers 250cc single. The very small height available for ‘thermosyphon’ circulation (instead of using water pumps) meant that most water-cooled designs of the era were not good in slow town traffic, and could boil

A spectator’s machine at the Rose of the Shires was this unusual little Isomoto, a post-war lightweight from Milan, Italy. Although not especially obvious, the 125cc two-stroke ISO engine is actually a split single design, the primary purpose of which is to keep transfer and exhaust ports a long way from each other, ie. in different cylinders

Leon Bollée on display with B44 Clive’s Power Pak. On the trip home the 50cc Power Pak left the 830cc Bollée in its dust…

pair, so 7 pairs on one side and 7 singletons on the other. Spokes were universally of an aerofoil section too, not just round wire as on motorcycles. With all of this activity there was limited time to work on AJS Mary’s Rex-Acme. A freshly honed cylinder was collected, and refitted, during which a further possible cause of the seizing was noticed. Rechecking the ring gaps showed, as expected, that the honing had increased them somewhat (this is where schoolday 2πr figures). But when trying the piston in the bore it became apparent that the gaps around the ring pegs closed up before the ring ends – and that is bad. This would explain why the engineer doing the honing had found the bore glazed, even though it had run for barely a mile – the rings had presumably been bound virtually solid! Four-strokes, of course, do not have this potential problem, but even their rings should be checked to see that the radial thickness does not exceed the depth of the ring groove for a similar reason. With honing for extra bore clearance the problem might have gone away, but to be sure the peg cutaways have now been filed for even more clearance. A few miles of test

Only 2km from the 1:6 slog up Newnham hill, Coryn Rivera crosses the finish line to retain the Women’s cycle race Green Jersey, and Dani Rowe, in blue at the rear, retained her Best British Rider place

running suggest that the seizing problem is now solved. Unfortunately the starting problems are not, leaving it basically no more rideable than when Mary sent the engine away in the first place! It was clearly still not ready to provide her with a trouble-free Banbury Run, so she missed her ride for the third time. Boo, and shame on PUB. This left hardly any time for last minute Bollée preparation, which therefore consisting of just checking the belt (loose,

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but not yet loose enough to shorten), and charging the 6 Volt battery – plus Fearless Ros prepared a picnic to enjoy at whatever place the RC duo should come to a halt this year. Actually, the first halt was at unloading in the Gaydon car park, where it became evident that there was a shortage of electricity – the trembler coil refused to tremble, so there was no point in wasting physical effort until it did. This is a simple, audible, and very worthwhile preliminary check that the ignition system

AUGUST 2018 I 103

Prester were a French manufacturer, originally from Troyes, but eventually taken over by Jonghi in 1936. This lightweight velomoteur is a 1929 AB1 of 98cc

Wheel lacing is usually modulo 4, but not always on racing pushbikes. In fact 21 is common on rim braked rear wheels, using 14 crossed / tangent on the sprocket side to transmit the torque, but only 7 radial opposite. Most 21 spoke wheels dispose them evenly around the rim, but this unusual wheel grouped its spokes in clusters of 3

The Rex-Acme cylinder freshly honed to the figures outlined last month – possibly a little loose, given the additional findings since

offers, for which reason pioneers such as Ixion often converted their mysterious De Dion type coil ignitions to trembler coil. PUB had accidentally left the battery on charge overnight with a crude old charger and it had cooked it. Fortunately she is a pessimist, so normally takes along a ‘get you home’ spare lest the main battery runs down on the road – there being no on-board charging system (originally ‘hot tube’). Fitting that frightened the trembler into trembling and got the machine running and up to the assembly area, but how long might it last? A potential plan was to go the first few miles to Kineton, then cheat by stopping in a convenient café or pub before attempting a return after an hour or so. Notwithstanding being far and away the oldest machine present, PUB did not get an

early starting number, nevertheless there did not seem to be any time to spare either. Signing on had to be done, meeting up with Mary, who was not too upset at not riding, and more importantly had not brought along any vicious Plantagenet knights, soldiers, swords, or maces – phew. The good news that the Rex-Acme at least ran without seizing helped her mood a little. Next year perhaps… There were a number of ‘noted experts’ scheduled to start with similar riding numbers. Sammy Miller was down to ride his museum’s rare Norton Model 21 (made only in February 1930, said the programme), and even popped by to say hello – but mostly to query whether team RC were seriously going to attempt to ride their contraption! Messrs ‘Shed and Buried’ (a TV programme), Henry Cole and Sam Lovegrove should have been parked just feet away, but were not seen, so

Above: The Rex-Acme piston rings appeared to be gapped correctly, until it was noticed that they bound up around the ring pegs. Tight rings might easily explain a hot running engine which seized frequently – and glazed its bore in a mere mile Below: Diagram of the ring problem. The ring gap was correct, but not the clearance around the pegs, used on two-stroke pistons to keep the ring ends away from port openings A very pretty 1924 Coventry built Omega-JAP at Banbury, with team Classic Motorcycle mounts just behind (Rowena Smith, 1914 Douglas, and Richard Rosenthal, 1912 Curry)

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JACQUELINE BICKERSTAFF

Work out the front steering for yourself, but note that the front wheel can go up-and-down in those long ‘plungers’ (and that is not much different to telescopic forks). At the rear it may look like plunger suspension (with springs in the long uprights) but is not so. There is a swinging fork (hidden by the silencer here), with links either side to those plungers which only provide the springing elements. This 1930 OEC-duplex was found sawn up with view to recreating a Joe Wright speed record replica. However the ohv engine was long gone so it now sports a 750 sv JAP in its repaired frame

no chance to get any words of wisdom from them for RC – next year perhaps guys. Team ‘Classic Motorcycle’ were also adjacent, but did not get away at all, with Richard Rosenthal’s ‘Curry’ failing on the start line. More exactly, the bike itself was fine, but Richard was re-living the nightmares that Ixion had with multi-gear experiments in the pioneering days. Like Ixion, Richard was trying an NSU aftermarket two-speed on the Curry mainshaft, and as with Ixion it proved very susceptible to lubrication problems and broke. Not only that, but Richard went on to try dismantling it, and promptly lost small parts in the grass (which Ixion humorously advised was no bad idea, as owners did not like to see parts left over!). That might be taking re-enactment a little too far, but at least he was not able to misdirect team RC on the route this year (but sorry about the missed ride, Richard). The programme comments that some entrants add can be both enlightening and amusing. Many of them simply testify to many successful years for rider and / or

machine, but problems and failures are also outlined. Last year a number of magnetos succumbed to the heat, and it seems likely that it will have happened again as this year’s event coincided with a heatwave. One poor soul admitted that it would be his eighth entry, but he was still hoping for his first finish! Sons riding Dad’s bike (or even third generation riders such as Ryan Thomas on the rare 1923 300cc Wolf ‘Light Tourist’) and the many first-timers offer hope that the VMCC, its bikes and riders, and the Banbury Run, all have a good future ahead. One very lucky chap reported ‘Got a rollicking off the wife for leaving the bike in the shed. Get it indoors ASAP, she yelled’ – a partner beyond price indeed. When the time to leave did come the Bollée started up fairly easily – and then stalled. PUB had forgotten to turn the petrol back on – doh! The cranky vehicle obviously has a limited supply of easy starts in it, and PUB a limited supply of crank swings in her, so the restart was ‘less easy’ but eventually PUB and Ros got away. It was Ros who noticed the first

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Steve Gibbons completes the run on his 1924 Monet & Goyon. The factory, in Macon, France, was a large user of Villiers engines. Front brake is neither drum, nor rim, but an obsolescent contracting band type

speed bump – she probably remembered nearly being pitched out on one on her first ride four years ago!

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When the British Motorcycle Charitable Trust acquired their Matchless machine gun outfit it was reckoned to be unique. Perhaps a bit less so now as here is another one nearing completion, but the BMCT bike has a JAP engine, and this one a MAG (post WW1?). When ace reporter PUB first spotted it she did not have her camera to hand, and by the time she returned with it the machine was being loaded up – oops

Introduced in 1947, the 350cc EMC (Ehrlich Motorcycle Co.) featured a split-single two-stroke engine, with rearward facing exhaust and inlet ports, and a strangely bare engine front view. The TT carburettor on this one suggests a bit of tuning at some time

At Kineton all seemed to be going quite smoothly, and knowing that the ignition current is really quite low on the trembler system it was decided to keep going on the route with fingers crossed (mostly Ros’s, as the machine keeps most of PUB’s digits pretty busy). The route proved to be quite gentle, and the equipe crested all the slopes without applying undue belt tension, and therefore causing stretch, so that it completed the trip without need of any roadside tinkering. Hooray. During the afternoon it mysteriously acquired a rosette, but for what award PUB does not yet know – she mis-timed loading it back on the trailer and so missed the prizegiving. Oops. Sadly, pre-1910 machines were mostly absent, as they have been in recent years, and PUB also noted very few foreign entrants in the programme, possibly due to harsher economic times? Nevertheless she did meet foreign spectators, speaking to some from as far away as Australia (and there is only New

Zealand and some obscure Pacific islands that are further). The autojumble did not turn up anything that PUB is looking for, but it usually turns up something worthy of inspection. In this case one stall’s heap of junky engine parts had a sweet little engine-gear unit, marked ‘hand made’ and apparently made up of a variety of disparate parts. On show, but not for sale, was a WW1 era Matchless V-twin with a Vickers gun on the sidecar, but not the one acquired in 2015 by British Motorcycle Charitable Trust. The owner is near to completing it, built up from genuine and newly made missing parts – so shortly the BMCT machine will be a bit less unique (but PUB thinks the two have different engines). Amongst machines that were for sale was a 350cc EMC, a production model from the Ehrlich Motorcycle Co., featuring the split-single two-stroke engine configuration that Joseph Ehrlich favoured. As well as being rather lanky, an oddity of this model

A funny little home-made engine in the Banbury autojumble, using a Villiers gearbox, possibly hand-made crankcase, and an unidentified cylinder head

is the bare front of the cylinder because the inlet and exhaust ports are cut into the rear cylinder (to obtain a small measure of asymmetric port timing between transfer and exhaust phases). Thus the short exhaust exits at the rear nearside, with the carb on the rear offside, and leaving the front strangely plain. AJS Mary (PUB’s sister) may not have brought along medieval instruments of torture to assail PUB with, but she did have an equally cunning plan. Since the Triking three-wheeler has gone, she arranged an alternative trike ride, for old time sake. This one, however, turned out to be a Stearman biplane (excellent fun), but with the passenger accommodation being standing on the top wing (a bit less excellent). The flights took place at an actual WW1 Royal Flying Corps airfield – RFC Rendcombe, near Cirencester – where the wingwalking teams seen at airshows are based. To be fair, Mary was up for the same escapade too, fundraising for her Greyhound charity. It was windy and cold up there, possibly something to do with 100+ mph and standing in the prop-wash. Maybe next time PUB flies in a Boeing she will book it herself, and pick a Jumbo…

PUB’s latest three-wheeler ride was on this Boeing Stearman, but the passenger accommodation leaves a little to be desired.

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Excuses, excuses. Frank Westworth’s been making excuses for doing No Work At All…

K, OK! I admit it. I’ve been slacking on the spannering front. Not entirely idle, but certainly slacking. I have given myself a verbal warning about this. After two more I shall sack myself. Which is easier said than done, but I know I deserve punishment. Why? Because I’ve been having an utterly ace summer time riding around all over the place in sunshine (and thunderstorms) instead of locking myself away in The Shed and sweating over a hot Thor hammer. What a summer. What. A. Stunner. At the risk of introducing personal nonsense into a magazine story read by a couple of million total strangers who don’t care at all, I will reveal that this is a special summer. This is the summer in the middle of which – before you read this, in fact – I shall hit that magic age

when the government starts to pay me simply to be alive. What a great thing. What a surprise. Which is a slightly insane way of revealing that I decided to make an old-age resolution: if I’ve some spare time, instead of diving into The Shed and immersing myself in the grubby fascinations of the BSA A65T, I shall drag out a motorcycle which actually works and head for the hills. The Welsh hills. And this is what I’ve done. It is not a new thing, by the way. I make this resolution every year. It is however unusual, mostly because in all previous years, by some mysterious cosmic force, whenever I’ve had an unplanned, unexpected couple of free days the weather has been vile. If I’ve booked an overnight, then fine, I ride off anyway, but if not … The Shed beckons. Not this year so far. It has been a great riding summer.

It’s always something of a peril arranging to meet RC readers: you never know what they’re going to roll up on. And observe the dimensional differences between the lumbering heavyweight and the svelte scooter. It’s not a trick photo

108 I SEPTEMBER 2018

More old bikes online: Real-Classic.co.uk

That said, I have also managed to get considerably wet on almost all of my longer-distance rides. Set off in stunning sunshine, ride in stunning sunshine, do social stuff, ride home a couple of days later … hit a deluge. It became so regular that at one point it became a domestic joke. A text would land from the Better Third: ‘Is it raining yet?’This is a subtle hint, and I would dig through the baggage hunting for the overtrousers… Take the most recent excursion, a trip into the glory that is North Wales, to a small village rejoicing under the name of Rhydymwyn. In this beautiful location there is a railway station, and in the fields next to the railway station there is a transport festival. I’m not sure, but it may be an annual event. In any case, I was either invited to it or knew about it magically, and decided to go. Because North Wales is a rider’s heaven, as is the ride there from RCHQ Bude, and I’m lucky enough to have several pals in the area and on the roads there, so… Any excuse. Now then. When I originally thought about writing a From The Saddle, rather than a From The Shed, I intended to be deliberately obscure about my choice of wheels for the ride. But we’re all adults, and I’m almost a pensioner, and the choice of wheels is unusually relevant to my 66th summer, so I’ll share with you that although my bike qualifies for classic insurance, being more than fifteen years old, almost no one in my fearsome coven

FRANK WESTWORTH Left: All roads need to lead somewhere

of old bike nuts would ever accept it as a ‘classic’. Why not? Read on… My Big Birthday Big Present is a new motorcycle. This is a great thing, of course it is. The conundrum at the time was that the bike I wanted – after a truly excellent test ride or two … maybe several – would sensibly replace one of my old favourites. Which is only a problem because I’ve been reducing the number of bikes in The Shed. This is an age thing, nothing more, tied to a briefly unhappy acceptance that I can’t reliably start an increasing number of them, which means that they’re effectively ornaments, and that I’m increasingly uncomfortable with being the proud owner of a huge lot of bikes. Few of which I want to ride very far any more. This is sobering stuff.

Below: Early doors at the event. The first bikes are here, and a rather glorious collection of elderly buses arrived, offering rides throughout the day

It is also an attack of realism. So, the oldster which would be replaced by the newbie is a gruff, black American machine. It’s lived in The Shed for several years, and replaced an identical machine which I’d bought way back before we’d even contemplated the mysterious delight of RealClassic but was compelled to sell due to financial desperation. It took me an age to find another, because although intended for the European market they were never popular in Europe – of course it was ideal for me, and remains so, despite being 16 years old and having around 50,000 on the clock. Motorways are dull. The M5 is however the fastest route from RCHQ Bude, and if I’m in a hurry I use it until crossing to the M48, sailing over the old Severn Bridge

and hitting some of my favourite riding country, heading just about due north from Chepstow. And I was in a rush. I had a date for lunch with Charlotte and Martin at the OK Diner outside Leominster, so needed to press on. Of course the traffic was awful, mostly stopped, all three lanes effectively jammed up by idiot drivers endlessly and pointlessly changing lanes. It’s really tiring filtering through some mad metallic mobile obstacle course. And of course the sunshine was relentless. And of course I was togged up in full riding regalia, because it had been cold and damp when I’d set out. So I was running very late. Thank the heavens for SMS messaging. I blasted an apology or two into the ethers. And of course Hereford was just … stopped. Open road, big sky, great bike. Reasons to be cheerful

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SEPTEMBER 2018 I 109

How’s this for a museum exhibit! Geoff Owens from Llangollen Motor Museum rolled in aboard this splendid BSA. Nice to see that museum proprietors ride their display bikes. Interesting guy to talk to, too

One of the ailments various which has arrived with increasing years has been a growing level of arthritis in my hands and wrists. This is particularly irritating, because although it provides excellent excuses for fumbling mistakes when playing with a guitar, it’s also demon on the clutch hand. And this is not a light clutch. Hereford was even more irritating in my rotary Norton riding years, as every time the clutch lever is pulled in as you grind once again to a stop, the engine’s oil pump stops pumping. This is not entirely a great idea; cue much footshuffling to catch neutral so the clutch could be released. Then declutch again as soon as the traffic starts up. Then stops. Repeat. I wish I was good at heroic filtering.

Everywhere FW went, strange men accosted him clutching bottles of water. Such is the power of social media!

Then a very late lunch. After which I’d calmed down and cooled off and set off once more northwards, waving bye to my friends on their handsome Mk3 Commando. A unique feature of riding a large American motorcycle – well, there are several, but this will do for now – is that folk really do notice them. Rotary Nortons or even BMW Rocksters do not have this effect. And no, it’s not loud. It’s got stock silencers and is very quiet. So, rumbling around the Ludlow bypass, still heading north as the sun eased towards the Welsh hills to the west, I watched with some minor grump as a lad on a bicycle pedalled hard as a racer to the only light-controlled crossing and operated the red light. Of course I stopped, although the car in front of me plainly recognised that red lights

Things you do not see every day: a Ner-a-Car. That must have been an interesting ride on Welsh hill roads

110 I SEPTEMBER 2018

did not apply to him. Young man pushed his bike onto the crossing, looking hard at my bike. And, just as the lights began to flash and bleepers began to bleep, he pointed at the bike below me and raised the biggest smile and thumbs-up I’ve seen for a while. Quite cheered me up, so I waved back, before setting off again… …for maybe 200 yards. Just across the roundabout with the traffic lights, a northbound car had embedded itself with considerable force into the front of a large wagon heading south. The car that had jumped the red light in front of me was embedded in the back of the crashed car. It had just happened, fairly obviously. Another rider pulled alongside, we shook our heads, turned around and found a route through Ludlow itself. In previous years, I typically navigated the UK’s roads using a Little Chef roadmap. It was always fun, and often entertaining. Sadly, there are now no Little Chefs. However, I still stay at the Travelodges which often shared the same sites and have survived the demise of that once-jolly brand, and eventually chugged into the mostly empty car park at the Oswestry lodge and booked in. Oh, the simple delights: no air-con, hardly any TV channels… good job I had a date for the evening! The ride over to Rhydymwyn was delicious. Just look at a map. Sunshine, cool morning air, increasingly elevated and twisty roads. Even the traffic was light. Roll up, park up,

More old bikes online: Real-Classic.co.uk

FRANK WESTWORTH

This rather remarkable ‘BSA’ rode in a little later in the morning. Not your average A10, we think

A couple of classic specials. The customiser’s art is thriving around here, plainly

The old car world can be every bit as eccentric and entertaining as the motorcycle equivalent. Say hello to Millie and Bertie

share the organisers’ disappointment that the steam trains weren’t running because of the fire risk (sparks will fly, indeed) and delight in the simple pleasures of Facebook when a half-dozen individuals march up clutching bottles of water insisting that ‘Rowena told me to!’ Well, it was a bit early in the day for health-giving, life-prolonging beer, I suppose. I should reveal at this point that I always enjoy transport shows, which is what this was. It would be an untruth to suggest that I only enjoy looking about bikes and talking about bikes. I just like vehicles in general, of all ages, although I prefer those with a story to tell, which is more likely when gazing in awe and wonder at oldsters rather than the new and the shiny. And of course there was loads to look at. Simply loads. As well as the huge diesel engine hauling a train in from Llangollen every so often, parking up and making so much clatter that I’ll not complain about noisy bike exhausts for at least a short while, there were cars, and buses, coaches, trikes and vans … and of course bikes. Lots of them, with more arriving all the time. All were interesting in one way or another, and although I’d only intended to be there for an hour or so, the time just hurtled by in a blaze of sunshine, water bottles and chat. Old friends I’d not seen for a decade or more appeared and reintroduced themselves, including a few from when I’d lived just over the hill in the mid-1970s. How did we all survive!

One small anecdote for you. I was chatting with Dave, an old friend who I’ve not seen since the mid-90s, although we’ve been friends on Facebook for a while. He’d rolled in on his own American monster, much the same age as my own, and within a minute we were jabbering like riders do, walking around with me listening as his inner engineer told me what I was looking at. Always instructive. But … time to go always arrives, often too soon, and I ambled back to my bike, clutching helmet and gloves and a final bottle of water. A chap of maybe my own age and another, younger guy were standing by the bike. Would I talk about it a bit? Of course. Turns out that the older man was the father of the younger, was an old bike fan himself, while his son rode a more modern Honda, a Shadow. ‘Nice,’ I said. Which it may well be, although I’ve not ridden one since… can’t remember. Then the younger guy, who was quietly bearded, suddenly announced, with some force, that what he actually wanted was a Harley. I told him to sit himself on mine, showed him where the key was and suggested he fire it up. Which he did. He thanked me, and came out with something that surprised even me, which is why I’m telling you. ‘I only started riding so I can ride one of these.’ His dad nodded. So there you have it. Young man in maybe his late twenties, attracted to bikes by a single marque. Interesting, no? If I’d had the time I’d have suggested he took a ride. But I didn’t.

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This is – as you’ve already spotted – a Jonghi. The rider is anonymous

There were plenty of 2-strokes, too, mostly of the affordable variety

SEPTEMBER 2018 I 111

Because I had A Plan, which involved a second night, a second lodge, this one right next to the old Severn Bridge at Severn View. And getting there… well, there are several ways. I could head back to Shrewsbury, pick up the M54, then the M6, then the M5 and then lock myself away in a darkened room for a week for wasting a good ride. Or I could cross over into England and reconnect to the A49, one of my favourite roads, but appallingly busy on the previous day’s ride up. Head-on lorry crashes notwithstanding. Or I could invade mid-Wales, which opens a lot of possibilities, roads I once knew well, but which I’ve ridden hardly at all in the last fifteen years. In particular, the A483, then the A470 until we hit the Brecon Park, with all its opportunities. Which would you choose? Quite right. What a fine ride. Not much traffic – for a summer Saturday afternoon – and impossibly excellent weather. The big old twin is a fine ambling device. I just dialled in top and let it roll along somewhere near the legal limit, relying on the famously flat torque curve to provide overtaking as necessary. A superbly relaxed way of going. Although I rode many, many more miles on my old rotaries, they were never as relaxed as this is. Or as comfortable, to be honest. And as we grumbled towards the Brecons, just north of Builth Wells, I noted the familiar lighting triangle of a BMW in my mirrors. Slowly caught me up, confirming that it was indeed a GS BMW, and sat safely, considerately behind me for a while. I don’t like riding with others, but this guy was fine. Moved around so both his and my sightlines front and rear were always clear – if I pulled out to overtake, he pulled in so my rear view was open. Good riding. Rare these days. Eventually, he passed me on a straight,

Faraway (relatively, that is) events are a great opportunity to unexpectedly meet old friends. This is Dave, who was for many years chief spanner-wielder at Greenlooms Classics in Chester, where FW borrowed loads of test bikes throughout the 1990s

dropping a hand for a low-down wave, as is the continental way. His registration was eastern European, the bike an oil-head, laden with the baggage that a decent tour demands. I waved back, we nodded in his mirrors. And he stayed where he was, riding at the same pace as before, all the way down through the glorious roads, through the towns; faster than I on the straights, slower on the bends – that luggage, I’d guess. Until eventually he turned left for Hereford,

and I rode on down to catch a couple of miles of the M4, the M48 and up to a second almost deserted lodge. A brilliant day. Brilliant riding and great company. And the next day, Sunday, home again, home again, jiggety-jig. Through an epic thunderstorm of course. Who could ask for more? And the verdict? Should I chop in the old faithful for a new one? No, not after a glorious ride like this. 550 miles in three days, no aches, no pains. On the other hand…

Above: How’s about this for local runabout transport? Sounded utterly wonderful, too Right: All good things come to an end. FW managed to find two mostly deserted lodges. Or maybe they’d been warned that he was arriving…

112 I SEPTEMBER 2018

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