Innehållsförteckning för August 2023 från The Classic MotorCycle

The 29th Coupes Moto Légende took place over the late May bank holiday weekend, at the Dijon-Prenois circuit, located in the beautiful French region of Burgundy. The Coupes Moto Legende was originally conceived by the French vintage motorcycle magazine Moto Legende, as an ‘all-inclusive’ affair with something to attract every motorcyclist, as well as the general public. The first editions were at the historic banked Linas-Montlhéry race circuit, situated 30km south of Paris, which was opened in 1924, with the first races taking place in 1925. René Jamin designed the 2.548km (1.583 miles) oval shaped track to allow vehicles to run at 220kph (140mph), and its construction took six months and 1000 tons of steel and 9000 cubic yards of concrete. As many will know, the French version of Britain’s…

Unlike its much larger 1970s rivals Ducati or Moto Guzzi, Laverda was never a major standalone motorcycle manufacturer, with the Italian firm’s bike division always just a spin-off from its agri-machinery core business. But thanks mainly to the passion of the late Massimo Laverda, who took over responsibility for Moto Laverda in 1964 at the tender age of 25, the family-owned firm produced a stream of high-performance models, of which its iconic 750SFC parallel-twin was both the most prestigious to own, and the most successful on the racetrack. Just 549 examples were built during 1971-76, out of the 19,000 parallel-twin 650/750cc Laverdas manufactured before their early-1970s replacement by the 981cc triples, and later 500cc twins. Laverda began life in 1873 manufacturing farming implements, wine-making machinery and the clocks surmounting the…

The Rétro Moto Côte de Nacre is located in Lucsur-Mer in the Calvados region of France, and is just 15km north of Caen and on the coast not too far from the beaches made famous during the Second World War. The event was created at the beginning of January 1989 with the objective of bringing together owners and enthusiasts of old motorcycles, whatever the brand, by organising occasions to showcase machines from the past, not only from France, but from all over the world, being used as their manufacturers intended. Since its inauguration 43 years ago it has thrived and has stuck to its aims by putting on rallies, monthly outings, exhibitions and such, and has built up a following from all over Europe. The organisers have even twinned with…

In the early days of motorcycling, when the bicycle origins of these machines were much more obvious, most riders would expect to use ‘LPA’ – or light pedal assistance – at least once or twice in a ride. Once clever technical people had advanced motorcycles to the point where their reliability and power meant ‘LPA’ was consigned to the history books, pedals were redundant on all but the smallest of utility machines. The question of what to do with a rider’s feet was answered at first by using the pedals, but moving one around the pedal-crank by 180 degrees so they were both in line, which was a quick solution. Many of my contemporaries in the 1970s embraced the sports moped scene on a ‘Fizzy’ or, to give it the…

The realisation that anything and everything relating to working on old motorcycle takes longer than envisaged (or have put aside the time for) and brings up a load of frustration shouldn’t surprise me anymore. But, of course, it always does. The plan was simple. The Project Viper, which has languished for a couple of years, was going to be finished off and fired up, while my MAC-engined Viper was going to be treated to a new petrol tank, bought from India and largely for explorative purposes, but which also wouldn’t be full of the horrible old liner the original was on the inside and the filler on the outside. So, it’d be put the new tank on, start that, put it out of the way ready to take to the…

The first man in the inaugural Sidecar TT, the 1923 event, gets away, as 50-year-old Harry Reed pushes off his Bradshaw-engined DOT (Reed being the man behind the maker DOT) while the rest of the field of starters line up against the wall. Of course, this year marks the centenary of the event, which in 2023 has seen the Birchall brothers, Ben and Tom – whose dad John, incidentally, is one of the leading lights in the Gold Star Owners’ Club – become the first sidecar crew to lap at over 120mph; fastest lap in 1923 went to Harry Langman, with Ernie Mainwaring in the chair, at 54.69mph. Interestingly, both the 1923 race and the 2023 running used 600cc outfits, back to that capacity after numerous changes, including at 500cc…

One of the most exciting lots in H&H’s sale at the National Motorcycle Museum on July 12, is the only currently road-going ‘BSA Hurricane’ prototype, shown below, the model which entered production with Triumph on its petrol tank, half a century ago this year. The provenance on file includes the BSA Owners’ Club Dating Certificate for frame VR2 and engine number A75R NE 00193. It is believed that just two prototypes were hand-built. One built by Vetter in his Illinois workshop and the other assembled by the BSA works, to assess production specifications. Vetter donated his original prototype to the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in Pickerington, Ohio. It is thought that this Umberslade prototype, was badged as a Triumph and sold off in a factory clearance sale, with no…

Willesborough Windmill is located on the outskirts of Ashford, Kent. A working smock mill, it is an attraction in its own right. It also hosts the occasional heritage events and these include the twice-yearly gatherings of the Norman Cycle and Motorcycle Club. As a one-time major employer in the town, some of the Norman company’s products are on permanent display in the on-site Barn Cafe. The factory premises were located just a couple of miles away. This year’s gatherings – the most recent on May 21 – have a little more poignancy since they mark 60 years since the factory closed, with the final products that bore the company name made in Nottingham, under the aegis of Raleigh. The gatherings attract a mix of those who have restored bikes, both…

There’s some sort of interesting three-way juxtaposition of past, present and future going on in this April 1948 picture, with the machine on the right representing the new, in the form of the recently introduced Sunbeam S7; while on the left is the old, the pre-Second World war Triumph Speed Twin, its police officer rider standing centrally. Forming the backdrop are two of the sculptures (‘Art and Science’ left, ‘Peace’ right, it would seem) from the outer edges of the Queen Victoria memorial. The all-new Sunbeam S7 was possessed of an overhead camshaft, in line twin cylinder engine, with shaft final drive, as opposed to the pushrod, chain final drive, side-by-side Triumph twin. One of these machines was the forerunner to the motorcycle format which was to dominate the next…

Event | Snow-Mann Trial Climbing a hill is surely a primal urge. Reaching the top of a hill on a motorcycle adds a further layer of satisfaction and when the rider and motorcycle is given sole possession of a length of tarmac to make the task reasonably straightforward, the experience becomes truly joyful. It’s a possible explanation of the appeal of the Snow-Mann Regularity Trial, where the hill is Bopeep Lane, which climbs close to the summit of Firle Beacon on the South Downs. The opportunity of meeting up with like-minded folk and enjoying a day in welcome spring sunshine piled on the bonuses. The demand to participate meant the organisers, the VMCC’s East Sussex Section, linked in this year with the national club’s Surrey and Sussex Section, extended the…

Fine machine though it is, that the Mk.II KSS was the ultimate development of the road-going overhead camshaft Velocette is, in many ways, a great shame. Before plenty take to their keyboards to point out the error of my ways – with the avenging army led by my friend Rob Drury, owner of the example featured here – let me explain my reasoning… My point relates to potential. The overhead camshaft layout was, as we now know, the eventual way forward for motorcycle engines, while the Mk.II road-going cammy had advantages others didn’t; for example, while an International or Manx Norton never made it to fully top end, the 1936-introduced KSS/KTS had them from the start. It was a sophisticated engine, while its physical size (including the chassis it was…

We classic motorcycle enthusiasts can count ourselves as incredibly lucky that we were able to enjoy at least part of our passion during the rather dark times of the pandemic. Prohibited from riding – during the initial phase at least – we could occupy our time and engage our minds maintaining, repairing and improving our machines. Many went one step further and embarked on a restoration, taking the opportunity to start/restart/finish something that had been languishing without attention under a cover or in boxes, or investing in a ‘fresh’ machine for the specific purpose. Whatever their size and ambition – and whether completed or yet to be – those ‘lockdown projects’ served as more than just a practical use of time, they gave welcome respite from the challenging and often…

Branding and logos Existing cycle makers, for the most part, transferred their brand identification from their own manufacture cycles to their fledging motorcycle production. Many had applied their logo in the form of a transfer or badge to their cycle headstock and did the same to their first motorcycles, though later this system was dropped. Usually, the existing cycle headstock transfer was enlarged, and occasionally modified for their motorcycles. In the case of badges, the design was repeated as a transfer, for application to the tank; occasionally, the tanks were hand sign-written. Companies from home and abroad took varying, circuitous routes before arriving at their branding. Triumph After two years in the UK, German national Siegfried Bettmann established Bettmann & Co in 1885 with an aim to cash in on…

Looking for somewhere to go on his recently-loaned Ariel Arrow, Motor Cycle staffer John Ebbrell (pictured centrally) had decided on a visit to the Lakes. He reasoned: “Thanks to the M6, Londoners are only six hours from Kendal, Brummies a mere three.” Though the M6 wasn’t totally completed at the time of our September 1964 photograph, it was nearly there. The initial section of the M6 was the Preston bypass, which became the first motorway in Britain when it was opened by Prime Minister Harold Macmillan in late 1958, with a second phase added in 1960, around Lancaster, then in 1962 Stafford was bypassed. By the mid-1960s, the sections joining up Stafford to Preston and Preston to Lancaster had been completed too – meaning that access to the Lake District,…

The most important BMW motorcycle of all time? Well, if we perhaps put aside racing – where the Rennsport engine powered every sidecar champion save one from 1954 until 1974, and the Kompressor which scored its famous 1939 Senior TT win among other successes – then, really, it has to be the 1970-introduced /5 series, which, although developed along the way, was basically the same machine on which all BMW boxers were based until 1996. Granted, it grew in size, power and sophistication, but, ostensibly, it remained throughout, going on to spawn such legendary models as the R90S, R100RS and the R80RT, beloved of police forces. It wasn’t BMW’s first ‘Boxer’ by any means, but it was the most important. The /5 Series (Type 246 in BMW official speak) was…

Of all Italy’s many defunct, well known marques now to be found in the freezer section of motorcycling’s history store, Laverda is almost certainly the most popular, with loyal fans all over the world from the USA to Italy, Australia to the Netherlands and the UK to South Africa still hoping it isn’t dead, just resting after the last such bike bearing this historic name was built in 1999. The array of models produced by the firm over its half-century of existence from 1949 onwards (see following history) continues to exert heartfelt appeal, as manifested by the sea of orange rolling over the Varano circuit northwest of Parma each spring. That’s when laverdisti from all over Europe, headed by ex-company principal Piero Laverda and his son Giovanni, congregate to celebrate…

If motorcycling is a social activity, then motorcycle restoration is even more so. The older the bike involved, the wider the circle of contacts and friends tends to become. It can lead to all sorts of things… Stephen Elston had retired from road racing and transferred his time and energy to a pursuit of older bikes. Anything from the 1920s had special appeal. That era was a time when the British industry was world-leading, a position achieved with constant development, creating many of the features that defined motorcycles for years to come. Stephen already knew of Pete Gasson, but their relationship became much closer after Stephen bought Pete’s Cotton, the bike seen here. Pete had been drawn to the Vintage Motor Cycle Club (VMCC) many years before, when it was…

If you were intrigued by Alan Cathcart’s comprehensive feature on Adler in the June 2023 TCM, perhaps you might have been inspired to try restoring an example for yourself. Hopefully, the following will lead to an informed decision. THE SPECIALIST The Adler to Zundapp organisation is well established, drawing together enthusiasts for the German marques that made a habit of producing quality machinery before, largely, vanishing from sight. Bernie Stevens is probably the club’s principal enthusiast so we are grateful to have his insights on Adler’s 250cc motorcycles. ■ Adler to Zundapp: adtrizun@tiscali.co.uk; berniesbikeshed. wordpress; adlertozundappenthusiast (facebook) MODEL HISTORY Under the radar at the time, years passed before German company Adler (‘eagle’ in English) was recognised for its pioneering efforts with production two-strokes. Adler had begun with bicycle manufacture in…

This month’s entry into the sketchbooks is a very special machine, hence the inclusion into the ongoing ‘Motorcycle Specials’ hall of fame. Displayed on the Cotton Owners Club stand at the Bristol show earlier this year, this 1922 Cotton Sporting is a machine that I've been looking forward to seeing for quite a while. The owner and restorer is Charlie Cotton (yes, there is a connection there) a lovely man who I have had frequently chatted to about early motorcycle racing and he always mentioned he was restoring a Cotton and I must see it once it's finished... Turns out, this is it! Charlie bought the Sporting some years ago when it was sold as part of the Adrian Reed collection. At the time, the machine had no documents (apart…