The Classic Motorcycle April 20025 issue *20 PAGE FREE PREVIEW*
ONE-OWNER T TR65
As we plodthrough –inthe UKatleast –the cold, dark,wet andfrankly grim days of winter,about this time ofyearthoughts starttoturn abit morepositive, with plans and excitementbuildingfor theseasonand what it holds
And none moresothanfor theStaford show, wherewe’ve been workinghard to puttogether something really special for the Aprilevent, insomuchasprobably the biggestcollection of SS100Brough Superiorsevergathered together in a public place,whichyou canreadabout on ournews pages. Terewillbemorenext month too, it’s shapinguptobesomething probablynever to be repeated Otherwise,I’vebeenbusyingmyself with all sortsofactivities,includinga club nighttalk in mid-February, wheremy ‘performance’alwaysstartsofwithgood intentions of astructured explanationof the magazine’s history andprocedures,but degenerates –ifthat’sthe rightword–into, basicallyachatabout motorcycles,my favourites,other peoples’favourites, why we likecertain ones,why othersaren’t so desired.
However, when askedon occasion,I alwaysstruggle to answer the: ‘Whatwas the worstyou’veeverridden?’ question as we’relucky,inthatwhatwerideand is ofered to us is generallyingoodorder, while we’renever judgingthingsona what’s ‘best’ criteria,as it’s impossibleto compare in termsofcompetency,say a1922 AJSand a1970 Triumph Bonneville.Justas
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it’s not possible to compare the old Bonnie to new motorcycle–they’ve all gottheir place,their plus points and their minuses It’s what makesitsointeresting.
Regardinginterest, this month I’ve also managedtoadd another to the stable, almostinadvertently.Manywillbeaware Ihavea 1927 Model 18 Norton,for whichI have alot of spares,somuchsothat when I sawin an auction a‘kit’ for another similar Norton,albeit with aside-valveengine ftted, Ileft aspeculativebid and then went out. On return, Irealised I’dunexpectedlywon it, whichthen ledtoaperiodof‘buyer’s remorse’(what have Idone? and why? etc) butthen abit of excitement, as,well, it looksinterestingand that’s efectivelywhy we areall enthusiastsasweare –because it’s interesting. Tere’snorealrhyme nor reason to it,ofcourse, butI’m excited to startsortingthrough what’s in my shed, coupledwith what I’ve bought, and see whereitleavesme.
Yes, it defes logic and sense, but it’s all part of the fun. It’s what makes us enthusiasts.
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Forthe 1956 Isle of Man TT races, staf of The Motor Cycle took amixed selection of fivemachines to use as transport.
Publishedinthe June 14, 1956 issue, this picturehad the accompanyingcaption: “Impressiveline-up; Te MotorCycle staf machines in the Island comprised a Dominator 99 Norton, a197cc two-stoke DMW, a98ccDMW Bambi, a147cc James Cadet with the new, optional, greyfnish and a646cc BSARoadRocket.”
Te Dominator wasthe machinebeing usedbyex-racer and road tester Vic Willoughby,inthe pictureherewearing his crash helmet,whichisrevealedasit is referredtoinafeature, where Willoughby rides machines that have just starredin the TT races.Morespecifcally, in the stor y of when he teststhe two-stroke Montesa, examples of whichhad just fnishedsecond, third and fourth behind CarloUbbiali’s four-strokeMVAgustainthe Lightweight 125ccrace.Indeed,Willoughbytestedthe machine whichMarcelo Cama fnished second aboard,onthe eveningofraceday.
Says Willoughby:“TeSpanish partywas injubilantmood…Te21-year-old Cama simply exudedenthusiasm.Tough our trip up the Mountainmusthavebeenan anti-climaxtohim after the race,therewas scarcelyamomentwhenhis face wasnot wreathedinagigantic smile. He insisted on ridingthe two-stroke outofDouglas and IfollowedonmyroadsterNorton; we agreed to change machines at Hillberry.As we climbedfromthe Manx Arms in Onchan towardsthe Nurser yBendsIhad to give the Norton –a600!–plentyofthrottle to keep close.
“CamasteamedstraightpastHillberry and the Norton’sspeedometer indicated 85mph beforeIdrewlevel andsignalled him to stop.Wechanged mounts at Craigny Baa.” So not onlywas thisparticular Dommie the Pressmachine, it wasalso ridden by the manwho’d come second in that year ’s smallestcapacityTT. In 1958, Marcello Cama wasone of the 12 who left
Montesawith Francisco Bulto(who had overseen Montesa’sraceteams) when he decamped to found Bultaco.Camaset fve worldrecords on aBultaco at Montlher y in 1960, beforeacrash efectivelyended his racingcareerin1961, and although he made a1963 comeback he soon retired,but continued to work at Bultaco into the 1980s.
Te 597cc Dominator 99 hadbeen launched in 1956, Norton’sanswerto machines likethe A10 Road Rocketonthe right, itself the ‘hot stuf ’twin-c ylinder ofering in the BSArange 1954-1957, when it wasreplacedbythe largelysimilar Super Rocket, whichwas to latergiveits engine to the Rocket Gold Star,too Te other three in the pictureare from rather the oppositeend of the motorcycling
spectrum.TeJames Cadet wasanewfor-1956 version, the Villiers30C engine housed in ajust-introducedchassis,which featured aframe that hada pressed-steel rear section and pivoted rear fork,controlled by coiledsprings setfar enough forwardto be outofsight,hidden behindthe deeply valancedmudguard, which waspartof the frame pressing.LikeNorton, James wasnow part of Associated MotorCycles (AMC), it having been acquired in 1951, a year beforeNortonjoinedthe stable.In 1956, Nortons were stillbuilt in Bracebridge Street,Birmingham,itbeing1963 before production movedtoPlumstead,London. Te other twomachines arethe more unusual, beingbuilt by the independent Dawson’sMotorcycles (of) Wolverhampton
–hence DMW –acompany foundedunder theinitial direction of well known former competition rider Leslie ‘Smokey’Dawson, and in collaborationwith Harold Nock, of Metal Profles Ltd. Dawson left DMW and emigrated to Canada in 1948, before DMW series production hadevenbegun, in 1950. By now, the companywas located at Metal Profles (MP) premises in Sedgely, Worcestershire, with initial models powered by Villiersengines in varioussizes, with MP telescopic forks
During the 1950s,DMW launchedseveral models,mostlyVilliers-powered, though therewas abrief interlude supplying machines with French-made AMC (Ateliers de Mecanique du Centre)engines,which were nothingtodowith thecompany
from Plumstead. Butby1956, it wasback to Villiersengines,the best known being the 224cc Cortina, while the 197cc version, as shown,was calledthe 200P and was basicallya cheaperversion of the Cortina.
Te Bambi, on the other hand, wasa distinctiveproduct in its ownright. Motive powercamefromthe Villiers4F(later6F) engine,with integral two-speed gearbox, housed under amonocoque frame that was alsothe body,made up from steelpressings whichwereweldedtogether.Ithad MP Earles-type forks and solid 15in wheels,all making it somethingofacross betweena scooterand amotorcycle. It didn’t enter production until 1957, suggestingthe model used by Te MotorCycle wasaprototype Around 500 Bambis were built,beforeit
wasdiscontinuedin1962 butDMW was to revisit the concept,inlargerscale,with the 250cc twin-c ylinder Deemster.DMW production wastoefectivelyend in 1967, though some machines were made later.
As for the races at the 1956TT, the already-mentionedUbbiali wonthe 125cc class, as well as the 250cc event, alsoMV; KenKavanagh(Moto Guzzi) wasvictor in the 350cc Junior ;and John Surteestook the blue riband 500cc Senior race,his frst TT win, on the MV Agusta.Bernard Codd scored abrace of Clubman race wins, on 350 and 500cc Gold Stars, with Fritz Hillebrand/Manfred Grunwald (BMW) the Sidecarwinners. Te threewheelers, the 125 and 250cc races were all on the ClypseCourse. End
&News Events
ASuperior centennial celebration
At Te International Classic MotorCycle Show, held at StafordshireShowground, over the weekendofApril 26/27, visitors will be aforded the opportunitytosee what promises to be aonce-in-alifetime gatheringofSS100 Brough Superiors, brought together to celebratethe model’s introduction for the 1925season.
Oneofthe mostfamous model names in motorcycling history,onlaunchthe 1925 Brough Superior catalogue stated:“Ever ySS100will be dispatched with awritten guarantee, signed by the maker, that the machine hasactually been timedover100mph fora quarterofa mile.”
It went on sale for £170; for comparison, the new overhead
camshaft Velocette Model Kwas £65, an AJSV-twinand large sidecar£90. Te SS100s held andbroke numerousspeed records,won countlessraces, captured imaginations and was the stuf of dreams
Formany, the model remains just that, adream,while even seeingtwo together is somethingquiteunusual, butat Stafordthere’ll be something like25onsite, includingtwo in Bonhams’auction.
Te models to be assembled include some famous ones too, such as the ‘Works Scrapper ’, the ‘Cunlife racer ’and ‘George VI’, whichwas the property of TELawrence, akaLawrence of Arabia,who famously and tragicallywas to losehis life 90 yearsago this year
As well as this trio,there’s to be aLeVackracer,the Needhamsand racer,several show models,Alpine Grand Sport, Pendine,asidecar outft,later two-of-everything versions…Infact,it’salmost over whelming, the breadth of the display.And it won’t just be sparklingrestorations either,as at leastone ‘workinprogress’ hasbeenpromised,while, excitingly, there’sexpectedtobe a‘barn fnd’machine, exactlyas it hasbeenfound.
Te SS100s will be displayed in amanner befttingtheir status,whichwill givethe central area of the Stafordmainhalla completelydiferentlook. While alsocomingalongwill be Henry Cole,BroughSuperiorowner and recordbreaker,plus guests will include numerousmembers of the enthusiastic owners’ club It reallywill be something, and we’ll have more nextmonth, includingfurther details of the machines coming, plus more of the famous marque and model
H enry Cole po se swiththe ex-B ob Ma tthews Br ough Superior,tob e sold by Bonham sa tthe Ap rilSta ff or dshow; seethemb oththere.
Thef amou sCunli ff ecompetition machine, unusua llypainted in mauve, will be ther e.
Geor ge VI,the penultimateB roug hSup eriorowned by Lawr ence of Arab ia.
Anothergem…ex- Charle sNeedham SS10 0 racer.
&News Events
Giro South We st tightens elig ibilityfor 2025
Havingestablisheditself as thepremier UK eventfor Moto
Giro eligible tiddlers, organiser
Russell Benneyispushing for
AM on dial, sp ec tacularscenery an da blue sk y–wha t couldb eb et ter?
qualityoverquantityfor 2025.
“Weare keepingthe limit at 60 motorcycles,but want to increase the proportion of those
interesting1950s and 1960s machines.Teoriginal idea wastocreateaMotoGiro-style British event, one that was moreaccessible to UK owners, butwehavebeenovertaken by numbers. We have plenty of MVs, Gileras,Terriersand Bantams,but alsomanyearly 1970s Japaneseentries.Perhaps toomany.
“Weneedtocreatespace for the Laverdas, Morinis and Jameses etc, thosemakes that arecurrently underrepresented. By tighteningthe eligibility from the end of 1973 to the end of 1969, it is intendedtofree up spacefor the morevaried tiddlersthatare currently garagedwith nowheretogo.
Hand Hauction in March
Theex- Dave Myer sB SA Gold Star,which featur ed in thelast TV series starring thef amou s chef,isonoff er,f or charit y.
Te sale at the National Motorc ycle Museum, Birmingham, will take place on March26, with some interestingmachines on ofer, headlinedbythe BSAG old Star ridden by the late ‘Hair y Biker’ Dave Myers. It is being sold with no reserveand for char ities CancerCareNor th Lancashire and South Cumbria and the NSPCC.
Other highlights include a
Aston Hill Climb ev ent
AstonHill wasthe sceneof some of the countr y’searliest and mostprestigious hill climbs from 1904 to 1925, with many notable driversand motorc ycle riderstakingpart.
Seventydiferentmakes of motorcyclecompetedat AstonHill, the mostsuccessful manufacturersinterms of outright victories were BAT, Triumph and Zenith,withthree wins each.Nortonwerenext with twowins.
As May17, 2025 fast approaches for the AstonHill CentenaryHill ClimbnearAston ClintoninBuckinghamshire, a wave of entries for the rerunning of the famous eventhas reached the organisers.
Fu ll details areava il ab le nowo nt he w w w .as to nhill10 0. com we bs it e. Th eo rganis in g tea mc ontinue the se arch for
“Te early1970s owners need not worrythattheyare being rejected,the June Jauntand the other GSWeventsare still open to them,infact we have increased the number ofspaces on the 2025 June Jaunttocater for them.”
Plus,early 1970s exceptions will alwaysbemadefor interestingbikes,like, for example,the 1971/1972 MV125, or early Puchs. Tiddlerslikethe 202cc Mondial, 200cc TigerCub, 197cc Villiers, 200cc Ducati are already accepted,onthe basis of ‘beingsimplylovely’
Entries for the 2025 Giro South West (Tree MoorsRun) arenow open.
Email RussellBenneyat Russell@phaseone.co.uk
Classic TT to return
Series AVincent-HRD Comet whichhas been in thesame ownership for 68 years, a pair of rare ‘cammy’ Square Four Ariels,plus alatefourpiper,and astringoftempting machines,ofered with no reserve, amongthem an 80 Plus Douglas,aMatchlessG3LC, and apair of Triumphs,a1968 Bonnie and 1976 T160 Trident, amongothers.
Details from handh.co.uk
ca rs and mot orcy cl es whic h to ok pa rt in the or ig inal ev ents,a nd ma ny cl as si cc ar cl ubs aree xp ec te dt ob ri ng ou tt heir be st ma ch iner yf or the hu ge showatt he to po f the hill wherea ll the pa ra de ca rs wi ll ar ri ve.Fift yc ar sa nd nine mot orcy cl es whic hran in the or ig inal ev entb et we en 1904 and 1925, or mo dels of t he sa me ty pe and ye ar,hav e be en confir me d.
Te eventfeaturesa runup the hill for some entries,along with alarge display of classic motorcycles and cars that should provetobeofmuch interest.Display machines will date from the early1900s up to the 1980s
Havingrun 2013 until 2019, the ClassicTTwas avictim of Covid and hasnot returnedonthe same scale –but will make its reappearance on the calendar in 2025, when it will runintandem with the Manx GP
An Italian dayout
Tis year,the Moto Italiawill be on Sunday,June1.Tefree event, held at the PowisArms, Lydbur yNorth,Shropshire, is an opportunityfor all Italian motorcycleenthusiasts to get together,admirethe wonderful machiner yonshowand chat to their ownerswhilstenjoyingthe good food and drink at the pub. Nottomentionthe pleasant and scenic ride to getthere.
Charles Payne,AJS and MatchlessO Centhusiast, is tr yingtocontact RichardWest, sonofJock. Does anyone know Richard? Email Charlesat charlesdp@btinternet.com
&News Events
Te 2025 Anglo-Dutch
Startedin1912 butresurrected in 1989, this bi-annual event alternates betweenthe UK and the Netherlands.It’sfor motorcycles made prior to 1915 and is limited to 25 Dutch riders and 25 UK riders.
It seems the Dutchteamis takingshape nicely, butmore
British ridersare required.Send anemail to anglodutch2025@ vmcmotor.com or download the registration form from the Veteraan MotorenClub website, www.vmcmotor.com/anglodutch
Te eventwill takeplace from July 28 to August 2, 2025.
HoardofHondas come to Charterhous e
HondaCBX estima teda t£ 80 00 -£ 12 ,0 00,fro mthe Welshhoard of Hondamotorcycles to be auctionedbyCharterhouseonMarch 13.
Acollection of 27 Hondas leads the line-up for the Char terhouse auction of classic and vintage motorcycles at the Haynes MotorMus eum on March13, 2025.
“Fromadeceasedestatein Wales theyhavebeencollected and enjoyed over many years,” commentedCharterhouse’s George Beale.
In the collection thereare classic Hondas from the 1960s through to the 1980s,with125cc commuter bikes to 1000cc street machines.Tereare many bikes from the everpopularHondaCBrange with
CB250/350/500/550/750s in the collection, alongwith two BlackBombers anda soughtafter HondaCBX,with the six-cylinder engine.
Wi th es timat es from £1000 to £10,000, this ho ard of Ho nd as from Wa les is exp ec te dt os el lf or £7 0,000 at the Char te rh ou se au ction.
Ge or ge Be ale and the Char te rh ou se te am ca nb e contact ed for va luations on cla ss ic &v inta ge mot or bik es at Th eL on gStree tSaleroo ms, Sh er bo rne,0 1935 812 277 or vi ab ik es@c ha rt er ho us eau ction.com
NMM winterrafe
Gloriou sN or vilCom ma nd o, beingraf fledbythe Na tional Motorcycle Mu seum,which couldb eyours for£ 2.
Hopefully, at leastsome of you will have already bought yourtickets,for the National Motorc ycle Museum’s winter rafe,the topprize beingan absolutelystunning‘yellow peril’ 1972 Norton Commando ‘Nor vil’production racer,which is agenuine machine,registered and all road legal.
Second prizeisavoucher for anySealeytoolproducts
to the retail value of £1500 to be purchasedvia Te National Motorcycle Museum shop,with thirdprize aSealeyTools ‘patriot’ roll-top tool cabinet,RRP £719.95.
Te draw will takeplace on Sunday,April 27, 2025, at the International ClassicMotorcycle Show,Staford. Rafe tickets costing£2may alsobe purchasedbyvisitingwww. thenmm.co.uk
Bonhams April sale settodazzle
Tere’sall manner of exciting entries linedupfor Bonhams’ sale on April27atStaford, includingseveral machines whichwill be familiar to readers, includingseveral from theBarry Winter collection, pictured,and some from the late DerekFox
Go ambling ab out in August
Te August Amble 2025 is anew, three-day social ridingevent, open to ridersofsmaller classic motorcycles up to 250ccand over 50 yearsold, ie 1975 or before. It is limited to 30 riders. Tere will be arecommendedriding
routefor each dayusing smaller ruralroads that arewellsuitedto smaller capacitymachines.Te circular routes will takeinthe scenic,picturesque and historic areasofthe LincolnshireVales, Rutland and Leicestershire, and
briefyintoNorthants.Route sheets,and SatNav versions will be providedinadvance Entr yincludes twonights’ half boardaccommodation at Te Greetham ValleyHotel (Rutland) whichwill be the base
too, whichincludes Derek’s fabulous BRSNorton.
Tat’snot to mentionthe SS100s mentionedonpage10, a fabulous Series AVincent-HRD twin and loads of others too. Have alookatwww.bonhams com for more.
for theAugust19-21 event. Tere’ll be the chance to meet other riderssociallyduringthe rides and in the evenings.For full informationand booking details contact Pete Murray guzzipetem@gmail.com
As well as locallybuilt engines,and those manufactured in-house, propr ietyengines by MMC (Br itain), Fafnir (G er many), Sarolea(Belgium), Zurcher andLuthi (Switzerland),plus De Dion Bouton, Clement, Buchet andAster were now available in the UK or from mainland Europe for those ambitious enough to star t building motor tr ic ycles and motorcycles
Currentinfation levels,low payand jobinsecuritywere jeopardisingmotorcyclesales. Many makers hadgone to the wall, while others struggled on, hopingfor better times. Butbargain-pricedbuys, includingthe 494cc Triumph
Brands Hatch bituminised. Over 38,000 spectators descendedonthe Kent circuit’s season-openerorganisedbythe GreenwichM&MCC to watch over 150 entries do battle.Te newly-tarredracecourselargely followedthe familiar,kidneyshaped one-mile grassland trackusedpreviously Such wasthe occasion,
Areminderwas issued in the motorcyclingpress to all motorcycledrivingtest applicants,thatarm signals wouldn’t be part of the UK test from May1,1975.
In sport, havingswitched from MV Agusta to Yamaha for the 1974 season, Giacomo
PopularJawaracerFrantišek Št’astný diedinPragueofa heartattack, aged 73. Born in 1927, ‘Franta’ racedc yclesand on ice skates beforeentering his frst motorcyclerace in 1947, astride aDKW.Later,he rode Nortons,before being contracted to Jawa in 1953. Riding250, 350 and 500cc machines he wonfve Czech championships and eight Grands Prix .Frantaracedon the international GP circuit 1953-69, winningfourraces,
Model P(£42-17-6d) and 249cc BSAModel B(£36-15s) were still securing orders. While both thesewerenew designs,Douglas hadpared theprice of its old stager,the 348cc TS,to£35, to appeal to this market.
current350cc and 500cc World Champions,Freddie Frith and LesGrahamrespectively, performedthe starter’sduties Winnerswere, for thesolos, 250cc class HAPearce(249cc HAP Special); 350cc RECave (344cc CrispSpecial), 500ccN J Gray (344cc AJS-JAP), with D Slate(490cc Norton) winning both sidecarfnals
Agostini securedhis 14th World Title in the 350cc class. After fnishingsecond to 19-year-old JohnnyCecotto (Yamaha) in France in March, ‘Ago’beat the youngVenezuelan at the second-round meeting(Jarama, Spain) on April20, to tie him for the 350cc title chase.
includingtwo in 1961 to fnish runner-up to Gary Hockingin the 350cc title chase. Although his factor yJawas were never as fastasthe MV Agustas, Hondas,Yamahas and Suzukis he challenged,hewas always aserious contender and crowd favourite, none moresothan at the Ulster in 1965, when hesnatched victory from Jim Redman who crashedonthe last lap, and when securing twoIoM podium fnishes RichardRos enthal.
Bo ok Review
Ducati Singles
All thes ecrets of a painstaking restoration
Author : Giuliano Musi
Published by: FBAMotoItaliane
Contact: email info@ motoitaliane.it
Canbeordered online at www.motoitaliane.it
Available in both English and Italian languages.
Softback,210 x285mm (portrait); 160 pageswith over 90 photographs and illustrations
ISBN 978-88-86774-25-3 £29 UK; $37 USD; $52 CAD; $57 AUD.
Te charmofclassic motorcycles is undeniable, butthe shine of paintand chrome canoften conceal underlyingissues.Tis is not thetaskfor the uninformed; one risksspending inordinate sums of money, buyingfakes or acquiringmotorcycles with seriousmechanical problems Alternatively, one mightstarta restoration withoutthe abilityto completeitproperly Giuliano Musi,an experiencedjournalistwith astrongafnity for classic motorcycles,particularly Ducatis,has compileda wealth of valuable tips in his latest book, ‘DucatiSingles’. Tis 160-page volume,flledwith over 90 superb colourimages, is dedicated to theiconic singlecylinder four-strokemotorcycles from theBorgo Panigale, Bolognacompany
Te book beginswith a chapteronpurchasingadvice, oferingessential information, details to watchfor,and potentialpitfalls.Itthen explains howtoconduct aproper restoration, includinghow to locate technical documentation, fndmissing partsand handle thedismantlingand reassembly process, alsohow to recover threads and much more.
Descriptions aregiven of the peculiarities of Ducati engines, with all thenecessary attention required,details to payattention to and mistakes to avoid, illustrated modelbymodel. From theCucciolo to the 200
Elite, from the125 Sporttothe Mach 1, from the Mark 3tothe Scramblersofthe 1970s.Tis is themostimportant part,made unique thankstothe helpof Enea Entati, guru of Bolognese motorcyclerestoration, who goesintothe details of each bike.
In 1964, Ducati introduced the fve-speed250cc Mach 1 that wasverysuccessfulasa production racer.Likeother Ducati singles of that period,if properly maintained– theydid not suferfools gladly–this motorcyclewas highlyreliable and often used in long-distance endurance races.One collector claimedthathis Mach 1had coveredover40,000km without ever needinganengine overhaul, still bearingthe classicleadseals placedtoguaranteeintegrity, despiteparticipatinginaMilanTarantoand four Motogiro d’Italia–atough test for abike of this type.
In his questfor essential documentation, author Musi alsoutilised themanual provided for participants of the Ducati restorationcourse, conducted over three years, with inputfromthe designersand technical experts of the Borgo Panigale machines, with Musi writingthe informativeand historicalsections.
Tis is an excellentand very informativehigh-qualitybook that anyDucatisti would be proudtoown Book reviewed by Jonathan Hill.
From London to Holy he ad
The Ealing and District Motor Cycle Club (MCC)Open 24-hour trial saw riders head to the north Welsh coast from the west side ofLondon
In‘ideal’weather conditions,inthe early summer of 1921, 45runnersand ridersfacedthe starter for arun fromTeBerkeleyHotel, Cranford Bridge,headedfor Holyhead, with areportofproceedings publishedin Te MotorCycle of May5,1921.
It wasthe second runningofthe eventand the man raisingthe fagwas none other than the organising club’s presidentDr–beforehebecamea self-appointed ‘professor’ –AMLow,whosenamealsocameuprecently (see page 16,January2025 issue). Although undoubtedly a brilliantand pioneeringinventorofall mannerof things,Low wasalsoknown to love the limelight, so he’d have notmindedamidnightassignmenttoMiddlesex to do some fagwaving, as it gainedhim afew more column inches.
Firstman wavedawaybyLow wasWGBoyer (5hp Rover) and the others then followedatone-minute intervals.Terewere55ridersdowntomakethe run, butwith 10 non-starters,numbers were alittledownon whatwas anticipated.Tosewho did getawaywereto followa routethrough Reading, Wantage, Cirencester and Gloucester.
Te MotorCycle reported:“Te frst checkwas at Ann’sGarageFarringdon (3am) wherehot cofeeand sandwiches, in addition to petrol, were takeninbythe dusty competitors. DRDowson(2¾hpHawker) wasa late arrival, havingbeendelayed with lamp troubles
“Tesecond check, in the charge of WBGibb,was at Gloucester. Cofeeand sandwicheswereprovided by that well knownrider; theyweremostwelcome to thecompetitors.”
WBGibbwas William Barr Gibb,bestknown as Billy Gibb, who wassubject of ashortbiography,publishedin Te MotorCycle, December21, 1922and describedthus: “A Scot and 44 yearsof age, wasa successful racingcyclist beforehetookupmotor cycling. He hasdoneverylittle competition work recently, owingtobusiness claims,but over alongperiod he wasone of the mostsuccessful of ridersinthe West country. In 1913, for instance,hewon sevencups and 20 gold medals,all onDouglas machines Other awards gainedhavebeen: Anglo-Dutch Motor Cycle Cup, DutchPlaqueand gold medal, Colmore Cup, TerryCup and Haslam Cup(EnglishSix Days Trials), Birmingham MotorCycle and Auto CycleTrophy, Calthorpe100 Guineas Trophy and IlkleyTrophy.”
Hiscurrent machines were 494cc and 348cc ohv Douglases andhis favouritemachine ‘fat twin.’Sothe model in ourpicturemay have been of interest,though we’ll come back to that.
Te MotorCycle reported,following the stop at Gibb’s shop: “LeavingGloucesterthe roads were in much better condition andthe riders indulgedinsome fast riding… Breakfastwas taken at the HopPoleHotel, Hereford, 127 milesfromthe start.”
Soon though the real work started–obser vedhills. Te frst wasjustafter leavingRhayader with onlyone failure, for EWStevenson, 3½hpBrough,owing to a puncture. Te second wasat‘Stay-a-Little’ and caused moreproblems,whilethe thirdhill was, according to Te MotorCycle, the ‘titbit.’ Tisone wasBwlch-yGroeswhile thosenoted for making ‘good performance’ includedthree alsoinvolved in manufacture; Harr y Reed (Dot), SidneyTessier (Bat)and Harr yMorgan (Morgan). Te trio were listedamongthe 22 survivors (soone under half of thosewho started) while also amongtheir number wasthe laterSir (then CBE) TommySopwith,ridinga2¾hpHawker, the machines made by Harr yHawker, formerly SopwithAviation Company’schieftestpilot and Sopwith’s nowbusiness partner.Sopwith (who in 1921 wasrecoveringfromthe bankruptcy of his business, despiteithavingsupplied 18,000 aircraft to the AlliedForces,the bankruptc y owingmainlytothe failureofthe ABCmotorcycle venture) onlyonce morehad amention in the article’s main body, his climbofStay-a-Littlebeingdescribed as ‘slow.’Still,hegot there, while the frmHawkerand he were instrumental in endingits motorcycleinvolvement by 1924 and stucktoaviation, wheretheyweretodo rather well…
Sopwith,despitea lifetime of pioneeringaircraft, long-distance fyingand record-breaking, motorcycle competition, sailing, competitiveice-skatingand ice hockey,lived to the grand ageof101, onlydyingin1989.
Te maninour picture, EFoster, who is pictured checking outofHerefordinthe early morning,was also afnisher in the trial–onhis 5-6hpRaleigh,the foreand-aft fattwinmadebythe company and which, as said earlier,would have perhapsbeenofinteresttoBilly Gibb.TeRaleighwas,in1921, the gargantuan bicycle maker’sonlymotorcycleofering,launchedin1920 and poweredbya698cc side-valveengine,drivingthrough athree-speed Sturmey-Archer (a company ownedby Raleigh) gearbox, with chainfnaldrive and leaf sprung rear suspension.
In 1922, Raleigh went moremainstream, listingwellmade conventional side-valvesingles in 350 and 400cc sizes, beforeaV-twinreplacedthe fat-twin in 1924 and the rangegraduallyexpanded.
Alsolistedamongthe 22 fnishersweresomemachine names we knowwell, with othersmoreobscure or now largelyforgotten, including a2¾hpWooler(another fattwin we presume),aConnaught, aCedos,a Metro-Tyler, aBeaumontand a10hpTB, athree-wheeledcyclecar made by TompsonBrothers of Bilston(nowinthe West Midlands), England, from 1919 until 1924. Whether on the TB,the 2½hpMetro-Tyler,Sopwith’s Hawker or Foster ’s Raleigh,itwas an impressive run, of the type much in vogueatthe time End
Low-cost publicity tour
In an efort to enlighten the public on the benefits of small capacity machines, an ACUorganised efort brought the motorcyclestothe masses.Oratleast attempted to.
The accompanyingpicturewas part of afeature in the April28, 1932 editionof Te MotorCycle, entitled‘Showingthe public the15s tax lightweights.’Our photograph wastaken in Luton, and captioned: “Teconvoyparkedin Luton, in an alleyway just of themain street.”
Lutonwas one of the stops near the end of thetour, all undertakenonthese sub150cc machines.Inhis March1931 budget speech, Chancellor of theExchequer Philip Snowden announcedthe half rate tax of 15s (so75p in ‘new money’) for motorcycles under 150cc,ina move to tr yand help the general public, as well as motorcycle makers,all of whichwerestrugglingin tough economic climes.
Te new legislation came into place on Januar y1,1932, with over athirdof motorcyclemakerssooncataloguinga ‘Snowden’ (the nickname giventothese machines) as theysearchedfor sales. Alot of frms went down the Villiersproprietar y engine route, with either the 98cc Midget or 147cc 8C ,while other makers built their own powerplants. Te motorc yclesassembled forthe 1932 runwereseveralVilliersand quitealot of ‘own’engines. Terewere22 broughttogether
Te MotorCycle explained:“Te convoy wasmade up of sixSilent Superb Coventry Eagles,one four-strokeside-valveCotton, three 148cc Villiers-engined Excelsiors, three Enfeld ‘Cycars’ employingthe novel and very efectivepressed-steel frame, three Francis-Barnett‘Lapwing’ models,one James 148cc machine havingthe twostroke engine introducedbythe makers for this year,two ohv146cc NewImperial unit-construction machines, andthree 147cc Triumphs.”
Te Coventry Eagles us ed the fr m’s ow n-badgedtwo-strokeengine,actually made for them by Levis, the Cotton us ed aJAP motor,the Excelsiorsw ereamodel calledUniversal(the B2 the standard, the BE2w ithelectr ic lights), the brand-new (introducedMarch 1932) and rather oddModel ZCycarshad RoyalEnfeld’s self-made engine,Francis-Barnettrelied on Villiers, James’s ow nengine powered through either atwo-speed (D15) or threespeed(D14) gearbox, the NewImpsw ere then introducedinlate1931 and featured fullyenclos ed valvegearfor its ohvengine, while Tr iumph’s 147cc model wasthe Z, basicallya sleeved-down version of the X/Junior,a nowlargely forgotten unitconstr uction tw o-stroke (Triumph’s ow n engine) with severalinterestingfeatures,
includingafor ward facingcarburettor and aframe made from pressings.
Butthis wasn’t the full convoy Te Motor Cycle went on: “Riders’ luggagewas carried in twoRaleigh three-wheeledvans,and the convoywas marshalledbyACU ofcials in BSAthree-wheelers. Te ofcials in charge were MajorG Dixon-Spain, Capt AW Phillips,MrSTHuggettand Mr RA Prescott. MajorH RWatling, directorofthe British Cycleand MotorCycle Manufacturersand Traders’ Union, alsoaccompaniedthe demonstration, and therearwas brought up by aCroft three-wheeler carr ying reservesupplies of awell known oil –rather givingthe misleadingimpression that the lightweights required alot of it!”
Te runstarted from the BSAfactor y’s sports ground (incidentally, BSAdidn’t
