Development • Seeley Honda
FOUR-STROKE FASCINATION SEELEY HONDA
Classic Trial Magazine has opened the door to so many interesting articles. This one is no different from how it came about, but, as always, it includes that vital ingredient: motorcycle enthusiasts. When Mike Rapley called to inform me, he had found some old negatives at home, which included the original press photographs for the Seeley Honda. So I thought about getting this piece of the Honda trials story into the magazine, but how could I make this four-stroke fascination come to life, considering certain information would be missing? Then, a few months later, a phone call from an old friend Trevor Kemp was a breath of fresh air, allowing me to bring this feature to life. Further information on the Anglo-Japanese machine was researched, and before long, we had a fascinating story coming to fruition. With the words and support from Trevor, I could start to date relative pictures. As well as my regular photographic contributors, I started to scan the many Alan Vines pictures I had. Lo and behold, some superb, unseen pictures were found from the early days. Then, good old Eric ‘‘EK’’ Kitchen came up with some colour shots from 1980 to support the ones from the other contributors. Words: John Hulme with Trevor Kemp • Pictures: Steve Bird, Barry Robinson, Erik Kitchen, Alan Vines, Mauri/Fontsere Collection and the Giulio Mauri Copyright, Trevor Kemp Collection, Jimmy Young
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At the 2006 Scottish Motorcycle Show Colin Seeley, seen here at the front sat on the machine, was interviewed by a Seeley Honda trials fan, John Moffat.
Summer 2022 • Classic Trial Magazine
