The Classic MotorCycle November 2024

Popularity is a funny thing. By this, I mean, to be in demand is a good thing – but to be overwhelmingly popular, I’m not so sure. This came to mind the other day, as I was thinking about how ‘in vogue’ or otherwise motorcycling is at the moment, or just how popular our particular branch of it is. It’s obvious to see that we’re perhaps not as on trend as, say, five years ago, which is reflected in the prices of some of our classics. Is that, though, necessarily a bad thing? I say this in the light of a few things of late, instances not connected to our world, but made me think of that ‘over popular’ thing. I’ve for years been a football fan, following an underachieving…

Published in The Motor Cycle on September 14, 1911, this photograph shows five riders who were taking part in the Essex Motor Club’s 24 hour run, which started at The Eagle Hotel, Snaresbrook, running to York and back, a distance of 403 miles. Quite some going then – and now. Our intrepid quintet is pictured at the Windmill Hotel, York, having reach the halfway stage, preparing to head south, back to Snaresbrook, which is about 10 miles to the east of central London. Competitors – there were 18 who set out – left the start at 7pm on Friday evening, at two-minute intervals. Most elected to light their gas lamps before embarking, though one competitor was forced out early by lamp trouble. There was a compulsory 15-minute stop at Cambridge,…

Super Stafford awaits The Classic Motorcycle Mechanics Show, at Stafford showground on October 12/13, will welcome legendary racers Carl Fogarty and Frankie Chili as guests of honour. Briton Fogarty, a four-time World Superbike Champion, and Italian Chili, with 17 WSBK wins, faced off in some of the most thrilling battles in racing history. After years apart, Frankie and Foggy are reuniting at Stafford, but that’s not all. Show organisers have tracked down two genuine, iconic Ducatis from the glory days. First, there’s Frankie’s stunning 2004 Ducati ‘998.5’, the bike he rode to unforgettable WSBK victories, including the epic Misano race. Alongside, will be Carl’s 1994 World Superbike Championship-winning Ducati 916, the bike that defined the era. Elsewhere, there’s the huge jumble, boasting over 900 onsite traders. There’s the final of…

The Yorkshire Classic Motorcycle Club enjoyed one of its biggest ever turnouts since launching its charity show 18 years ago. Hundreds flocked to see a record number of motorcycles down the decades at the event on July 24, 2024, at the Country Manor pub in Keighley. The event raised £2600 for the club’s chosen charities – the Yorkshire Air Ambulance, Manorlands, supporting people with life limiting conditions, and their families; and The Cellar Trust, the Shipley-based charity supporting people with their mental health and well-being. Club member and European Trials Champion Dan Clark, who runs Xtreme Stunt Team, was a guest at the show, and also the main judge of the Best Bike in Show – David Batty’s 1975 Honda CB750, which also won the Best Foreign Bike Class. Other…

1924 Derek Sismy’s letter detailed an all-too-familiar period tale. “Overtaking a slow-moving, well-lit steam wagon late at night, I was confronted by a tractor towing a huge, wide load without a single light showing. Luckily, with the steam driver’s thoughtful action, I squeezed through the gap he created. But an outfit wouldn’t have made it.” A small number of hauliers were buying the new Fordson tractors with the sole purpose of moving over large, sometimes illegal, loads under the cover of darkness. The Government was being urged to act, and the police to increase their night patrols. 1949 Approximately 4,016,000 motor vehicles were currently licensed for road use, a million more than a decade before. Of these, 616,000 were motorcycles, and this number would soon swell following the Ministry of…

“Triumph” Pictorial History of the Great British Marque Author: James Robinson Introduction by: James Robinson Published by: Banovallum Books, an imprint of Mortons Books Ltd, Media Centre, Morton Way, Horncastle, Lincolnshire LN9 6JR www.mortonsbooks.co.uk Tel: 01507 529529 Hardbound, 220 x 300mm (portrait), 144 pages, with over 190 photographs and illustrations. ISBN: 978-1-911658-58-0 £25 (UK), $32 (US), $44 (Canada), $49 (Australia) Triumph began as a brand name in 1886 when young, London-based German entrepreneur Siegfried Bettmann reckoned he needed a new name for his fledgling bicycle-building business, rather than tagging the cycles with his own name. Fluent in both English and French, the Bavarian-born Bettmann arrived in Britain in 1884, working in several jobs including publishing, before deciding to branch out on his own and set up an import/export business, having…