Indholdsfortegnelse for September 2025 i The Classic MotorCycle

The accompanying image was published (under the heading of ‘Enclosure as a fine art’) in the May 4, 1944, edition of The Motor Cycle, with the caption: “This picture shows Wing Commander T F Cooper with a scooter he has designed. The intrigued youngster is the son of a flying officer. As can be seen, the general proportions of the machine are excellent, while the enclosure is really superb.” Main body of the copy was started with a sub-heading – and this copies the then-used capitals – which went: “Neat and Clever Design of Scooter Evolved by a Canadian Wing Commander for Airfield Work.” It continues: “Some ideas of the possibilities of total enclosure are illustrated by this striking motor scooter evolved by Wing Commander T F Cooper, of the…

After the success and rebirth of Kop Hill over the last few years, those of us Chiltern Hillsdwelling petrolheads and aficionados of old motorcycles and four-wheelers have already been spoilt once again, with the running on Saturday, May 17, 2025, of the Aston Hill 100. As the name ‘Chiltern Hills’ suggests, there are plenty of steep chalk and flint hills dotted around that attracted early motorcyclists and motorists into organising speed and timed events, and Aston Hill is one of them. Situated not far from Aylesbury and the nearby parish of Aston Clinton, Aston Hill wends its way sharply up from the B4009 Upper Icknield Way, skirting the wonderful Wendover Woods, and was the location between 1904 and 1925 for many of the UK’s biggest hill climb events of the…

Now well established on a closed street circuit, between the Vienne river and the rocky outcrop on which stands the town’s castle, the Chinon Classic, which at its inception appealed only to a relatively small number of French riders of primarily postwar Japanese and Italian motorcycles, now attracts a significant number of pre-Second Word War French and British motorcycles and, with that, an ever increasing number of British riders and machines. This may be because only seven days later and 70km further south, the Bressuire GP Historique takes place, enabling British visitors to participate in two street circuit motorcycling events in a week, and, in between, to spend a few days touring rural Western France. Each year, the number of motorcycle and sidecar combination participants at Chinon increases. Ten years…

The Norman Cycle and Motorcycle factory closed in 1962. For many years it had been one of the largest employers in Ashford, Kent Recalling the mark it made on the town, the Norman concern is celebrated at another of Ashford’s longstanding icons, Willesborough Windmill, built in 1869 and restored to working condition some time ago. The barn at the rear of the windmill contains a museum exhibiting a selection of Norman’s wide variety of products. The windmill is also the venue for the annual gathering of the club for Norman owners. The organisation was formed in 2001 and while its membership has many current Norman owners, it also counts former factory employees and their families, among its members. The club has international reach with members in Scandinavia, the Caribbean and…

The long-established motojumbles at Hamstreet are the grassroots events of the Elk Promotions calendar – an open field, lines and lines of stalls, and, as you take refreshment after the traditional trawl of the stalls, live music from local band Tim Phillips and the 1066 Rockitmen. What more do you need? Ah, yes, the weather. Correctly (it was the end of June) it was served up warm and dry to complete the package. There was also a bonus, with a free copy of TCM’s sister magazine Old Bike Mart being given away. For those out for a ride, the village of Hamstreet is a popular destination anyway, with all its access roads set in pleasant countryside. Rows of parked bikes stretched out into the field, which is an impressive size…

This photograph appeared in the September 28, 1922, edition of The Motor Cycle, with the caption: “F W Dixon (998cc Harley-Davidson sidecar) on the starting line.” Now, while some of that statement is correct – the bit about the ‘sidecar’ and ‘starting line’ – the rest of it is obviously wrong. All is revealed in the original reproduction, as next to it is another picture, this one having the following lines underneath: “E Searle (499cc Sheffield-Henderson) awaiting the starter’s signal.” The images run alongside each other, under the heading (in capitals) “SPEED TRIALS ON SCARBOROUGH’S PROMENADE.” All that has happened, is the pictures or caption have been swapped, as this is certainly Ernie Searle, and his machine is certainly a Sheffield-Henderson. It’s also equally certain it’s not F W ‘Freddie’…

It was 100 years ago, riding an HRD machine of his construction, that Howard Raymond Davies took on 50 others riding the racing motorcycles of 20 different manufacturers, to win the 1925 Isle of Man Senior TT. At the end of six laps and 226½ miles of racing over the renowned Mountain Course, Howard shocked the opposition by bringing his relatively new motorcycle home in first place. Davies finished four minutes ahead of second-placed Frank Longman (AJS) and set a new race record average speed of 66.13 mph. The Senior TT, for 500cc models, was regarded as the pinnacle of motorcycle racing, and Howard’s winning ride attracted praise from many sources. The Motor Cycle and Cycle Trader was particularly complimentary, proclaiming: “In the annals of the trade there has probably…

There’s an argument that could be made, that the Wall Street Crash of 1929 and its subsequent repercussions, culminating in the Great Depression which can be taken to have really begun in earnest in 1931, was the single greatest occurrence in the demise of the British motorcycle industry. And although that sounds perhaps outlandish, preposterous even, as it all happened over 40 years before the fall of BSA (which we can perhaps highlight as the moment the whole motorcycling empire fell) it was the beginning of the end. And this motorcycle featured here is one of the most symbolic of the period. The AJS S3 was officially announced by its makers A J Stevens, of Wolverhampton, in April 1930, though it had long been rumoured to be on the stocks…

Wisdom says that there are two sides to every argument, the pro-side and con-side, in other words two-sided arguments present both sides of an issue. In respect of written arguments, it should present a balanced and objective analysis of both sides, because in reality there is a third side – a compromise. At the risk of starting a massive flow of correspondence, the $64,000 question in respect of veteran, vintage, classic or just collectable motorcycles, is whether to restore, and included in that is originality, and just how far do you go in bringing a bike back to life? Plenty of people will quite correctly point out that things are only original once, and you should consider whether by doing a restoration you destroy the history of the bike. Returning…

With the advantage of hindsight, us fans of ‘old bikes’ would most likely look back and think the launch of Triumph’s 1959 range must’ve all been about the Bonneville, as it was the debut of a name which indeed continues to be used by the Triumph company today, and is probably the most famous name in British motorcycling. But, reading the report published in The Motor Cycle of October 23, 1958, which accompanies this picture in its original printing, the new model barely merits a mention, and when it does, it’s near the end and a rather withering opinion, to boot. In a joint report written by Bob Currie and Alan Baker, there’s little pretending anything other than this was a ‘jolly’ – in fact, the piece starts thus: “The…

One of the perennial challenges for the motorcycle industry has been attracting new riders; a problem that persists to this day. Modern manufacturers still wrestle with how to appeal to a younger, broader audience: Harley-Davidson is perhaps the most striking example, having reworked its range from traditional air-cooled, pushrod V-twins to liquid-cooled models with cutting-edge electronics and styling that bears little trace of the chrome-laden image they were once known for. They even, albeit unsuccessfully, ventured into the electric bike market in an effort to lure younger, forward-thinking buyers. But this is far from a new dilemma. British manufacturers in the post-Second World War years faced much the same challenge. By the late 1950s, with a growing economy and car ownership becoming increasingly attainable, motorcycle makers had to fight harder…

They breed ’em tough in Yorkshire, and Tony Jefferies, who passed away in December 2021, aged 73, was as tough as they come – mentally, as well as physically. After enduring the trauma of being paralysed from the waist down at the age of 25, after a crash at the Mallory Park Hairpin in the 1973 Race of the Year, the three-time Isle of Man TT winner who in his short career as a Triumph works rider had swept all before him, later had to cope with losing his only son David – himself a multiple TT race winner – in a 2003 crash in the Isle of Man. For almost 50 years Tony ran the family dealership in Shipley, Yorks, which in 1970, aged 22, he took over from…

The island of Cyprus, or to be factually correct the Republic of Cyprus, is a popular holiday destination for many British people, thanks to its position in the Mediterranean Sea, which gives it a very favourable climate throughout the year, being relatively close to Africa. Owing to the fact that it was once under British rule – gaining its independence in 1960 – the population still drives on the left, and English is widely spoken, adding to the island’s appeal as a destination for holidaymakers. The capital and largest city is Nicosia, toward the north of the island and away from the beaches, but is still a popular place to visit, especially if you want access to the northern Turkish-controlled area. From a motorcycle perspective, it is probably the most…

THE SPECIALIST Norton’s dedicated contribution to the Second World War effort has received far less attention than the manufacturer’s racing heritage. Describing himself as ‘a reasonably well informed enthusiast’, Rob van den Brink, of the First Norton WD 16H and Big 4 website has set out to remedy this omission, and we are grateful for his willing assistance with this restoration guide. Hopefully, the website should soon be carrying news of the launch of a book on military Nortons. ■ www.wdnorton.nl MODEL HISTORY As the Second World War broke out, the War Department was desperately trying to secure the supply of motorcycles for the Armed Forces. Norton had been shrewd enough to foresee this and made sure the Ministry was well aware of its 16H and, to a lesser extent,…

When involved in a project such as this Triumph, which goes on around the rest of my life, sometimes it takes a glance at how someone else has done a particular mod for the lightbulb to click on. On any motorcycle, wiring and cable routing tends to be problematical, at least in making it look tidy. In the factory catalogue and publicity pics, retouching artists often painted out the messy parts of the cables and wiring so as not to spoil the image. This is okay for a catalogue but we, as end users, tend to need the wiring and cabling in place to make the bike work. Factories did their best to minimise wiring being seen, and once alternators were fitted into primary cases the feed wire often went…