The Classic MotorCycle Sample Edition

Newk loo

Collier 1000cc norton speCial

ingenious home-made parallel twin

Where legends come to life

November 2013

The original

superbike

Ariel Square Four – the 1000cc Vincent alternative for half the money

edward turner’s

terrier trip Triumph MD’s big ride

re-made in ireland

INSIDE:

Classic TT highlights Peter Williams: ‘I modified everything I rode’ 1961 Triumph Bonneville ridden What was new in 1948? Indian Chief taxi in Italy

Number 11,November 2013

£4.10

Sparkling Velo MSS brought back to life

Editor’s welcome Trying different things…

OW SUBSCRIBE N FOR ONLY

.50 £18 page 18

As some may notice when flicking through this issue, we’ve had a rejig of sorts, which has basically involved revising the magazine’s ‘running order’ and refreshing some of the colours and such. Nothing has been radically altered, we’ve just tried to find ways to cram a bit more in, to add even more variety and to appeal to as wide a range of enthusiasts as possible. e breadth of the machinery in the classic world is something which appeals to me greatly; I’ve always been able to find interest in practically every motorcycle, while I’ve been fortunate to have ridden a wide range too. And, as I write, I’ve just come back from the Isle of Wight, taking part in the VMCC section’s Scurry (about which there’ll be more next month) where I was lucky enough to sample yet more machines.

Actually, I started off riding a motorcycle with which I’m entirely familiar: my dad’s 1928 K8 AJS, which he’s had for longer than I’ve been alive. It has been raced, rallied and ridden by a diverse range of people, most of whom have fallen for its combination of decent power and light weight. Basically, it just does everything well.

From that, I swapped to another of dad’s machines, his reasonably-recently acquired Montgomery, with oilcooled Bradshaw engine. Dad bought it a couple of years ago after my brother and I suggested it to replace a Scott, mainly as Montgomery was founded in Bury St Edmunds, where we were born. I’d never ridden it before and in the Isle of Wight the ‘Monty’ proved itself a reasonable performer, though there are a couple of glitches, mainly gearbox related, to sort out.

But then day four of our trip. We were staying with friends Jeff and Lesley and at breakfast Jeff kindly offered me the loan of one of his stable; perhaps his 1929 Norton Model 18? Or 1937 350 ohv Ajay? Or postwar Ajay single?

Or, laughing slightly, his James Superswift? To his surprise, I plumped for the James. Why? Well, I’d never ridden a James and the truth is, I’ve probably ridden more Vincent V-twins than I have Villiers lightweights, mainly as that’s what people tend to offer up.

So, anyway, I ended up on the James, riding it in driving rain… and you know what, I loved it, ring-dinging and splashing my way around the island. It proved – nay, reiterated – to me that variety and trying new and not-so-familiar motorcycles is more often than not a pleasurable experience.

JAMES ROBINSON Editor

20

26

Contributors

Simon Crelland, Roy Poynting, Jerry urston, Phillip Tooth, Alan Turner, Richard Rosenthal, Steve Wilson, Nigel Winter.

THE CLASSIC MOTOR CYCLE (USPS:710-470) is published monthly by Mortons Media Group Ltd., PO Box 99, Horncastle, Lincolnshire LN9 6LZ UK . USA subscriptions are $63 per year from Motorsport Publications LLC, 7164 Cty Rd N #441, Bancroft WI 54921. Periodical Postage is paid at Bancroft, WI and additional entries. Postmaster: Send address changes to THE CLASSIC MOTOR CYCLE, c/o Motorsport Publications LLC, 7164 Cty Rd N #441, Bancroft WI 54921. 715-572-4595 chris@classicbikebooks.com

62 CONTENTS ISSUE | NOVEMBER 2013

Archive photograph .........................................6 News ..................................................................8 Diary ...............................................................12 West Kent Run ...............................................14 Subscribe and save ......................................18 Classic TT ................................................... ...20 Letters .............................................................22 Ariel Square Four 4G Super profile................26 Edward Turner’s Terrier trip ..........................36 Indian Chief Taxi ............................................40 Glass plates – 1927 Stock machinetrials .......47 Bob Collier Norton .........................................52 Reader’s Restoration – Velocette MSS ...........58 Triumph Bonneville .......................................62 Ted Mellors reflections ..................................68 Closer Look – what was on offer in 1948? ......74 Peter Williams interview ...............................78 Classic components .......................................80 Men who mattered ......................................... 82 Classic choices – Nortons ...............................84 Roy Poynting column .....................................86 Jerry Thurston column ...................................88 You were asking ...............................................90 Restoration Guide – Excelsior Manxman .......94 Technical feature – 3T fork rebuild .................96 Next month ...................................................112 Classic Camera .............................................114

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52

POST: The Classic MotorCycle, PO Box 99, Horncastle, Lincolnshire, LN9 6JR EMAIL: jrobinson@mortons.co.uk

News&Events edited by james robinson

Netley’s a hit

The annual Netley Marsh jumble on September 7-8 attracted its usual monster crowd, with a fabulous array of machinery. Visitors came from far and wide, with plenty over from the continent too.

Stafford set to soar Bike under 25?

Guest of honour Christian Sarron is one of many reasons to go to the Carole Nash Classic Motorcycle Mechanics Show on October 19-20. ough the show is aimed at 1970s and 80s machinery, often from Japan, there’s still plenty of earlier motorcycles in attendance too, while Sammy Miller is bringing along the Guzzi V8. e jumble has a wide range of eras covered. e show takes place at Staffordshire County Showground, opening at 9am.

8

The ClassiC MoTorCyCle | noVember 2013

You’re not coming in

This year’s annual Bike Fest at North Weald, on July 28, operated the usual policy of only admitting bikes 25 years or older.

The meeting attracted a good selection of earlier bikes. Veteran sprinter Dave Benge is still recovering from a serious industrial accident, so he lent one of his JAP specials to Kevin Hunt who recorded a best of 14.74, which appeared to be the quickest time of the day by the earlier machinery.

Alan Turner

Kevin Hunt takes to one of Dave Benge’s 500cc JAP sprint specials.

Family mourns karl-heinz e Lansdowne Classic Series saw some real highs but also a massive low over the summer as the season started to draw to a close, the death of Karl-Heinz Kalbfell at Brands providing a massive shock for all those in the Lansdowne ‘family’. e first of two August meetings was with the CRMC at the Classic Motorcycle Festival at Donington Park and saw four well attended races.

In the Bonhams sponsored GP Championship there were two wins apiece for Duncan Fitchett and Mike Russell with Alex Sinclair, Glen English and Keith Clarke sharing the other positions.

In the National Motorcycle Museum sponsored WRR Championship, TT star Charlie Williams took all four wins while Richard Ellis, Peter Crew, Robin Stokes, Gordon Russell and Stan Woods fought it out for the other podium positions. e Avon Tyres sponsored 350cc Championship was closely contested between Tim Jackson, Seb Perez, Jeff Bing and Jack Hebb, with Jackson taking

The popular Karl-Heinz Kalbfell, a Lansdowne stalwart, lost his life at Brands on August 17. Karl-Heinz was the former BMW motorsport chief and died of his injuries after an accident approaching Graham Hill bend.

four wins. Star of The Classic MotorCycle sponsored class was Mike Farrall on his prewar Rudge who mixed it with the other classes to score four wins. e following weekend it was the turn of Brands Hatch to play host, but following the death of 63-year-old Karl-Heinz in practice, the Lansdowne ‘family’ of riders held a meeting and it was decided not to hold the two Saturday races, while on the first

Sunday race slot to do a two lap parade of the circuit in tribute to Karl-Heinz and for the last race to be for no points.

A big thank you to all the Bemsee people, marshals, medical staff and Brands Hatch personnel who all helped with a very difficult situation. e final weekend of the season, at Snetterton, was about to be held as TCM went to press.

Richard Adams

Transported back in time It’s been a vintage year for transport preservation, and at one of the year’s most prestigious events a beautiful AJS played its part in showing the public what a great movement it is.

The Bluebell Railway has been a pioneer in transport preservation for five decades and in August held its annual Vintage Transport Weekend. This year’s event took place near the beautifully-restored Horsted Keynes station, deep in the Sussex countryside.

Of the motorcycles, Best in Show was bestowed on Steve Elston’s 1919 AJS, a 750cc side valve V-twin. He bought the bike completely by accident, as he went to see about another potential purchase and ended up doing a deal on that AJS and his intended purchase. Steve is

the AJS’s fourth owner and it came with an interesting amount of provenance.

Some £180 was paid for the bike when new and for years it was attached to a sidecar. The Bonniksen speedometer was rarely allowed

to move past the 20mph mark.

During the Second World War it was kept in a cellar, eventually emerging for limited use.

It remains totally original, although a previous owner, nervous about fuel quality, changed the cast iron pistons to aluminium items.

Alan Turner

NEWS IN BRIEF 

ACE CAFE

Newly available is a 132 page issue celebrating the world famous cafe, getting behind the scenes and meeting many of the characters. It costs £6.99; call 01507 529529 or go to www.classicmagazines.co.uk to order.

ClAssiC CAR booT…



On October 12, 2013, London’s iconic Southbank Centre will come alive with a glorious exhibit of classic cars and vintage vehicular delights.

Queen’s Walk and Hungerford Car Park will become a petrolhead’s paradise and a vintage shopper’s cornucopia of clothing, accessories, pop culture memorabilia and vinyl records. 

RiChARd ATkins

Editor of the Velocette OC magazine Richard Atkins recently passed away. An engineer by profession, he served for five years as editor of Fishtail.

Condolences are expressed to his family and friends.

soUTh oF EnGlAnd REAl ClAssiC shoW



Held at the South of England showground, Ardingly, West Sussex, on October 13, there’ll be a large display of pre-1980 motorcycles and jumble too. Contact 01797 344277 or visit the website at www.elkpromotions.co.uk Steve Elston and his totally original, award-winning AJS.

The ClassiC MoTorCyCle | NOVEMBER 2013

9

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An instant Classic The opening ‘new’ 500cc Classic TT bought a win for olie linsdell, while race-week itself proved a success all round.

Words: SIMON CRELLANd Photography: RUSS LEE/KATIE TASKER

1

Paton mounted Olie Linsdell storms to victory at an average speed of over 110mph.

20

P

aton mounted Olie Linsdell scored a dominating start-tofinish victory in the opening Bennetts 500cc Classic TT. e Bedfordshire rider started the race with the number one plate on following his 111mph qualifying lap. Fellow TT stars Cameron donald (G50), John McGuinness (Paton) and Bruce Anstey (Manx) followed, with Michael dunlop (Manx), Gary Johnson (MV), Roy Richardson (Aermacchi),

The ClassiC MoTorCyCle | NOVEMBER 2013

Chris Palmer (Seeley G50) and Conor Cummins (Manx) rounding out the top 10.

While Linsdell had an unproblematic race there was a high failure rate among the top machines with donald, McGuinness, Anstey, Palmer and Cummins all failing to make the distance.

After a first lap fuel stop Linsdell rejoined the race to eventually build a margin of two minutes over William dunlop who hustled the davies Motorsport Honda four to second.

Linsdell’s race time of 1:22:07.732 (110.544mph) becomes an instant race record as does his best lap of 111.660mph.

Seasoned MGP, TT and classic campaigner Jamie Coward scored an emotional third place on the 1970 Craven Manx Norton with an impressive third lap of 107.346mph. dunlop was made to work hard for his second place by a lengthy first lap pit stop which relegated him from second to fifth.

A great battle developed between dunlop, on the Honda four, Chris Palmer and Coward. It looked set to go right down to the wire as only four seconds

Classic event | Classic TT

separated the trio at the Bungalow on lap three but then came news Palmer had retired at Governor’s Bridge. Dunlop was able to slip into second and he and Coward consolidated their positions, conserving the bikes to make sure they were able to finish. William’s race time was 1:24:08.911, an average of 107.610mph.

Coward’s race average was just a fraction down at 107.091mph.

Retiring TT and MGP legend Ian Lougher marked one of his last Mountain Course appearances with a solid fourth place, 15 seconds down on Coward. e popular Welshman was riding the Royal Enfield prepared by the Linsdells and Flitwick Racing which Ollie campaigned in last year’s MGP 500cc Classic race.

Roy Richardson, James Hillier (Honda), Michael Dunlop, David Madsen-Mygdal (Honda), Allan Brew (G50) and Doug Snow rounded out the top 10. Snow was astounded to be flagged into the winners’ enclosure as the first privateer home. Riding a 340cc Ducati he averaged 98.075mph for the race with a best lap of 99.409mph as he sprinted for the finish line.

In the Okell’s sponsored 350cc Classic TT race, Castletown man Chris Palmer blew away the opposition on Monday morning. e race was delayed for half an hour due to misty conditions on the Mountain but once underway Palmer rapidly cleared off on the Ripley Land 350cc Honda twin.

2 Giacomo Agostini

and John McGuinness re-enact the 1967 Senior TT, ‘Ago’ on a MV three, McGuinness on a Honda replica.

3 Agostini chats to

Michael Dunlop, who won the Classic F1 race on a big Suzuki. His average speed was over 120mph.

4 Cameron Donald

chased home Ripley Land team-mate Chris Palmer in the 350cc race; Donald was on a 7R, Palmer a Honda twin.

In what he confirmed may be one of his last Mountain Course appearances the former British 125cc Champion put on a silky-smooth display of skill to win by one minute and eight seconds from team-mate Cameron Donald.

After a slow start the Australian TT star worked the Ripley Land AJS relentlessly up through the field, benefiting from the early exits of Alan Oversby and Chris Swallow.

Third place man Dan Cooper pushed Donald hard on the third lap, closing to within three seconds before deciding to conserve his Molnar Manx Norton for the final lap.

Nigel Moore (Honda) took a well-earned fourth place and Alex Sinclair (Honda) scored a popular privateer win and finishing eighth overall.

In the 250cc class, Suzuki riding Jonathan Cutts made a strong showing in the final laps to win by over a minute from like-mounted Peter Wakefield, with Geoff Bates third on a Honda.

The first Classic TT was judged a success all round, with record numbers of visitors converging on the Island. Other highlights included the Jurby Festival and the various VMCC events too, while star turns in the lap of honour included 1990s GP racer Ralf Waldmann on a prewar 250cc DKW. End

The ClassiC MoTorCyCle | NOVEMBER 2013

21

Fair and

square In 1953, the 995cc Ariel 4G Square Four Mk.II ‘four-pipe’ was just a year away from being the last 1000cc British production motorcycle, until the Hesketh bumbled along 28 years later.

Words : STEVE WILSON Photography: JOE dIck

Super ProямБle | Ariel Square Four 4G Mk .II

Super ProďŹ le | Ariel Square Four

e MotorCycle 1953 page 488

Classic ride | Indian Taxi

Taxi!

This original paint 1925 Indian Chief Taxi has found a settled home in Italy.

Words and photography: PhilliP tooth

O

svaldo Faustini has built up quite a reputation as one of italy’s foremost collectors of early American motorcycles. his workshop in a small village west of Verona usually has a couple of indians and harleys undergoing a nut and bolt restoration, but this 1925 Chief and taxi sidecar only gets the occasional wipe over with an oily rag. osvaldo likes it just the way it is – the enamel might be faded and worn, and the canvas hood creased and stained, but that only makes this outfit more attractive. here’s one old indian that doesn’t need fresh war paint. e Chief was introduced for the 1922 season as an entirely new model, but it was basically a bigger Scout. it used the same semi-unit construction 42degree V-twin Flathead design, while the cylinders were based on the Powerplus ‘Daytona’ but with extra finning for cooler running. Capacity was increased from 600 to 998cc. While the Powerplus used a single camshaft for all four valves, the Chief used two camshafts – one for each cylinder. like the Scout, the primary drive was by helical gears running in a cast aluminium chaincase. Even old indians rarely leak oil but harleys always leave their mark on the road.

With a compression ratio of only 5:1 and soft cam timing the original Chief ran out of puff after 4000rpm.

At 193kg (425lb) the new model was relatively light, and some riders claimed 140kph (90mph) in solo form, even though there was only 20hp available. e Chief handled as sweetly as the famous Scout thanks to the cradle frame – harley used a single lower frame tube and a couple of kilos of steel plates to bolt the engine and gearbox into place. But the Chief wasn’t aimed at the solo rider. it was aimed at the sidecar market, where a top speed of about 100kph (65mph) would have been perfectly adequate.

40

The ClassiC MoTorCyCle | NOVEMBER 2013

Above: Taxi equipment was bespoke to the machine’s Italian-made specification.

Right: Front brake is an Italian addition.

From

fine

stock Bob Collier’s Second World War-built Norton Special took two vintage ohv Norton engines and housed them in a Matchless Silver Hawk frame. And his top-drawer parts acquisition didn’t stop there...

Words: Roy Poynting Photography: teRRy Joslin

Classic ride | Collier Norton

O

h boy, all those originality fetishists who denigrate any special as ‘two good bikes ruined’ will have a field day with this one. Parts from not two, but three motorcycles were used in its formation, and all of them were classics in their own right. The engine was concocted out of two vintage ohv Norton motors – which in the original frames would now be worth the best part of 20 grand apiece – while the frame actually used came from a Matchless Silver Hawk, the ultra-rare narrow V-four produced as an even more up-market riposte to Ariel’s Square Four.

1938 Velocette MSS

Classic ride | Triumph Bonneville

Bonnie bargain

Ian Thorogood has owned his 1960 Bonneville for nearly 40 years; it has provided good service for his initial £95 outlay.

Words: Roy Poynting Photography: teRRy Joslin

‘W

hat’s in a name?’ asked William shakespeare in Romeo and Juliet. And the answer is quite a lot when the subject is motorcycles and the name is Bonneville.

Part of triumph boss edward turner’s genius was undoubtedly his ability to select evocative and memorable names. so, when the development of a twin carburettor version of the 650cc tiger one-ten coincided with Johnny Allen’s use of a similar engine to create an American speed record on the Bonneville salt Flats, it was a no-brainer for turner to appropriate the title. i imagine even he, though, would have been surprised to discover that the iconic Bonneville name was still going strong more than 50 years later, having been appended to one of the reborn triumph marque’s most successful current motorcycles. of course the latest model is totally different from the originals, but all the versions made in the three decades after the 1959 launch were recognisably related, and the question of which is best often arouses heated discussion among triumph fans.

Well, i’m not going to get involved in that discussion because ‘best’ is such a subjective word.

For example the use of triumph’s trademark nacelle on the very first tangerine-coloured models was so unpopular it was dropped almost immediately, but now these models are much sought after and prized.

And at the other end of the scale the 750cc t140s made in Devon after Meriden finally succumbed were once criticised for being old-fashioned, yet have now acquired a following of their own.

62

The ClassiC MoTorCyCle | NOVEMBER 2013

Classic choice | Options

Marque of distinction Period icon 1967 Norton Commando Launched at the 1967 Earls Court show and on sale for 1968 the Commando was an immediate success, this is hardly surprising really, a 750 boasting a reputed 56bhp in fairly tractable road going form when only a few years previously this sort of power was the province of racers. to a whole generation of motorcyclists the Commando is the norton they most wanted. ultra desirable is the rare production racer model introduced for 1970, with higher compression and livelier cams helping it to 70bhp.

TOP

norton From the 1920s to the 1970s, norton was one of the prominent names in the British motorcycle industry. the firm could make the true claim of ‘race bred performance’ as they enjoyed years of competition success. this was backed up with a wide range of road models, not all sporting and aimed at different sectors of the market. these five are perhaps not the most obvious but offer a few ideas...

“The Commando raced to immediate success.”

CHOICE

What to pay?

Cheapest in the trade we could find was £7750 with others priced upwards from this. e most expensive was a private sale, a 1978 Mk3 with 7500 miles priced at £8999. £

£

£

£

£

Words: Jerry thurston

Awfully good 1976 NVT Easy Rider

A Norton? Well, sort of! e nationalised norton Villiers triumph combine came up with this stepthru with 50cc two-stroke motor and two speed automatic gearbox. It was a decision worthy of any 1970s situation comedy, it was available with pedals to appeal to the ‘sixteener’ market, a decision obviously made by those well out of touch with the youth of the day as no selfrespecting teen would have been seen dead on one. Perhaps the only norton that could ever be called a failure!

What to pay?

£

£

£

£

£

e answer has to be… not much. nevertheless they have a certain kitsch quality being so awful that they are great, no self-respecting norton enthusiast should be without one. A couple of hundred quid should secure you a half-decent example.

84

The ClassiC MoTorCyCle | NOVEMBER 2013

Classic life Happy birthday 1959 Norton Jubilee

Named to celebrate 60 years since the company was founded, Norton’s little 250cc Jubilee broke cover in 1958 and entered production at the beginning of the next year; remarkable for being a four-stroke twin when a lightweight was most usually a two-stroke single. Ignoring the NVT offering as an entry level machine into a marque it’s probably about as good as they come, boasting many of the refinement of its bigger sisters without the price tag. Unless you are handy with a panel beater’s hammer beware those with damaged or missing tinware.

What to pay?

£

£

£

£

£

We’ve seen them below £1500 – perhaps unsurprisingly these don’t stick around for long, the general price seems to be around £500 to 1000 more than this, so say £2250. e Jubilee’s siblings, the Navigator and Electra, fetch only slightly more.

Big bang ‘1937’ Norton 16H WD

As a reliable basic ride to work 500 a demobbed 16H probably couldn’t have been beaten in the late 1940s. Dealers had tens, even hundreds, of ‘refurbished’ machines on sale. Although the passage of time and their almost throw-away nature has reduced the numbers of running machines (100,000 were built to the WD spec, basically a 1937 model) drastically there are plenty still out there and spares continue to crop up, some even in the original WD packaging.

What to pay?

£

£

£

£

£

Genuine ex-Second World War machines command a premium, exciting both military and motorcycle enthusiasts. However, bikes without any discernible history should be cheaper as they don’t carry the same amount of kudos. Pay around £4500 for a running machine, more if it’s got good service history or was involved in a well-known campaign.

Simply superb 1959 Norton Dominator 99SS

Who could fail to be wowed by the Dommie 99SS (Sports Special)? Endowed with the new slimline featherbed frame and its motor sucking air through a pair of big for the day 11⁄16in carbs it was capable of over 100mph in a time when the magic ton was a big deal, a feat only achievable by the best sports cars and motorcycles. Production ceased after little more than a year, making the 99SS one of the musthave machines for those interested in the earlier Norton twins.

What to pay?

£

£

£

£

£

You’ll pick up a standard Dominator 99 for around £4000 but finding a 99SS will be another matter. ey are out there but if you really, really need one be prepared to fork out at least double that starting price and more (so say £9000) and maybe more. But most of all, beware fakes!

End

The ClassiC MoTorCyCle | NOVEMBER 2013

85

Restoration guide | Expert advice

Excelsior Manxman e specialist

With so few bikes around, the Excelsior Manxman cannot really support an owners’ club, so Ian Pollard, VMCC model specialist, offered to act as a guide. e official handbook is well worth having. Second-hand examples turn up occasionally, although new reprints are available through Bruce Main-Smith. Be warned – finding a barn-fresh Manxman is more likely than a prewar Excelsior winning a modern TT – but not a lot more...

“Coventry-based Excelsior suffered badly in the Second World War... bombing destroyed the Manxman records.”

Model history

After winning the 1933 Lightweight TT with the pushrod engined ‘Mechanical Marvel,’ Excelsior needed to capitalise on its success. e Mechanical Marvel was too complicated for series production, so the 1935 catalogue was the first to feature the Manxman (Manxmen?) in 250 and 350cc capacities. e 500cc option arrived for the following year, but until the Second World War, there were constant updates cascaded down from a successful race programme and embodied in the various models that, at times, could be offered as sports, super sports and racing versions. e machines were undoubtedly capable of further development (the factory was constantly experimenting), but the Coventry-based manufacturer suffered badly in the Second World War and when Excelsior production resumed in the 1940s, it was to provide bikes for the lightweight market. Bombing destroyed the Manxman factory records, so total production can only be estimated at around 1500 bikes, with 5-600 each of the 250 and 350cc models and the balance, approximately 400, of 500cc versions. At present, some 300 approximately complete bikes seem to have survived worldwide.

Parts occasionally surface at jumbles and on the internet, but the spares situation generally is little better than that for far older machines.

01

Engine

Words: ALAN TURNER

e single-cylinder two-valve engines of the road bikes had shaft and bevel drive to a single overhead camshaft. e bevel cover carried the distinctive threelegged Manx insignia.

Many of the later 500s will have the optional bronze cylinder head.

All engines had coil valve springs, although hairpin springs were specified for very late machines.

A rev-counter drive facility came as standard on a Manxman.

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e first models were based on the same-spec bottom end with an aluminium con rod moving through a 79mm stroke. A 63mm piston gave 246cc and a 75mm one resulted in 349cc. For 1937-on, the 250 adopted its own 67x70.65mm configuration.

Corresponding dimensions for all 500cc units are 82x94mm. e engines were very soundly engineered. Everything is supported by ball or roller bearings and thoroughly lubricated.

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e engines are relatively simple to overhaul, but with virtually nothing original obtainable, compromises will have to be made in rebuilding.

Genuine Manxman parts will almost always command a huge price.

Pistons can be adapted, or made from blanks. e massive, but obsolete, drive-side roller main bearing, can be replaced by standard bearings in tandem.

Broken lugs on the aluminium cambox are not uncommon, but can be repaired by welding.

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Gearbox

e transmission was courtesy of Albion. Inside the cast aluminium primary chaincase (model-specific and also beware of suspect pattern stuff) a primary chain drives the clutch. e basket should contain the only cush drive in the transmission. is is worth persisting with, even if it does not work very well. Correct baskets are difficult to obtain. Substituting a non-cush drive version is easy, but can well exacerbate problems

with the gearbox. e casting at the gear-lever end should feature the Excelsior name. Manxman ‘boxes in the first months of production had external positive stop mechanisms.

Castings from the last months of production had wider mounting lugs. ere are no external marks to identify the internals, which had different ratios for different models and capacities. Some gearbox internals are common to those found in prewar Royal Enfields, otherwise – happy hunting.

Classic life Pricing

Prices have soared in recent years. A fully sorted, roadworthy 250cc Manxman will fetch around £9-10,000. Expect to pay £10-12,000 for a 350 and £12-14,000 for a 500. Racers with provenance can command double those figures. Gleaming black and bold red – but originality may well be a grey area.

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Final bit

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Electrics

Cycle parts

Sparks are courtesy of a platform-mounted Miller magdyno. From the gear-driven magneto, a small duplex chain spins the dynamo.

Everything is either difficult or rare and inevitably expensive. e eight-inch Miller headlight was also used

by Velocette. Excelsior kept the shell plain, Velocette pierced it for switches. A wiring harness will have to be made but the Velocette wiring diagram can be cribbed.

Generally, the 250 and 350 models used the same cycle parts, many of the 500 parts are specific to the half-litre version. Early 250 and 350 frames had twin top tubes, later bikes a single top tube, as per the 500 frames. An easy distinguishing Manxman feature is that the last inches of the front down tube are vertical, where they link to a cast iron cradle that supports the engine. e wheels are 21in front and 19in rear, later bikes adopted a Girling brake system.

Frames are even more rare than engines and tinware is also very difficult. e instrument panel (with the lighting switch) was a separate part of the fuel tank. Race bikes had large oil tanks that wrapped around the saddle down tube. On road bikes, the similarly styled arrangement concealed the tool and battery box. e occasional oil tank survives, but very few tool and battery boxes.

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Suspension

As a general rule an Excelsior Manxman frame

is rigid. Very late in the day, a springer frame was listed, but they are extremely rare.

Otherwise, the rear springing is courtesy of the saddle, which can be refurbished if necessary.

At the front, Webb forks were fitted, to a design very similar to those fitted to the 250 or 350cc KSS Velocettes. As ever, the usual warnings apply to girder forks: Expensive to buy in any condition, expensive to overhaul and need to be rebuilt by someone who understands them to avoid an unwanted helmet test.

It took some time for the classic market to wake up to the merits of the Excelsior Manxman, in spite of impressive race finishes. Prices have long passed most contemporaries. Ian Pollard advises: “Manxman restoration should only be tackled by an engineer, or someone prepared to test friendship with an engineer to the very limit!” A Manxman triply underscores the golden rule of restoring: “Start with the most complete bike possible.” Trying to build one from bits is almost impossible.

Working from lumps, it is possible to mix and match and build a working bike. Good if you wish to ride it, not so good if you have just paid top dollar for what was someone’s parts bin special. Check carefully, then check again. d En

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