Owner`s Club of Southern California

Owner’s Club of
Southern California
Established 1978
Monthly Journal
July 2012
Nice Turn Out For The Frazier Park Ride
The Piled Arms is a publication of The BSA
Owner’s Club of Southern California.
You can find us on the web at:
www.bsaocsc.org
We are a member driven publication and rely
solely on your participation. Technical articles,
photos and “Member Experiences” are essential
Meet Our Directors
Burt Barrett (661) 832-6109…..…….….…………....President
Steve Ortiz (951) 245-5287………….Membership/Secretary
Barry Sulkin (310) 398-6406……………...…………..Treasurer
Barbara Barrett (661) 832-6109……………..Events/Director
Clive Brooks (714) 771-2534……Piled Arms Editor/Director
Craig Rich (562) 868-9389 ……….………………….….Director
Jody Nicholas (714) 730-9257...….……………….…...Director
Piled Arms Production Staff
Clive Brooks (714) 771-2534…[email protected];
Contributing Members and Named Sources
The Piled Arms, 820 South Esplanade St. Orange, Ca. 92869
Please submit your articles by E-Mail or direct mail.
Deadline for submissions is the 8th of each month.
Members may place Non Commercial “4-Sale” or “Want”
Ads in the Piled Arms Free for 90 days, without renewal.
Contact Editor for “Commercial Ad” rates and information.
Webmaster ....Jill Mushaney…[email protected]
Club Librarian….John Gardner….310-920-3393
BSAOCSC Regalia… Randy Ressell….714-448-1179
Front Cover Photo Submitted by; Steve Ortiz
Rear cover photo submitted by; “Old Ed “Meagor
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President’s Page ——--by Burt Barrett——TOOL KIT FOR RIDES
As everyone knows, British Motorcycles require some maintenance. I always try to take some tools and spares with me when
I ride any distance away from the shop.
Lately my tool kit/spares stash has proved deficient. I have
experimented with several different types of kits, with varying
results. My last one was a zippered tool pouch, made from fabric, and having some stiffening plastic inside. Well, the darned
thing rattled, and some of the sharper instruments wore holes on
the ends of the pouch, causing at least one lost tool. At the Mid
State ride, Jim Myers needed some fresh plugs for his Norton. I
always carry spares, however mine had rattled around so long
that the threads were flattened, and quite unusable. When I returned home I began looking for a suitable tool roll. I found one at
Harbor Freight, however that one proved
too thick. Ebay provided a really nice canvas one for about $20, including shipping.
(See photo) Since it has numerous pockets, and is secured with a strap, it can’t
rattle and make holes in the roll.
After thinking about what I should
carry, I decided on the following: an SAE
wrench set (cheap Harbor Freight) with
duplicates in 7/16", and 1/2". One 1/4
Whitworth wrench, for the fuel connections at the bottom of concentric carbs.
Screwdrivers, blade, small and large,
and Phillips head. Two sets of pliers,
one conventional, one needle
nose. Wire Stripper/Crimper pliers, and
several crimp on connectors, clutch cable saver, all in a zip lock pouch, and a
small amount of wire. I also carry a spare wire with ends already made up for Boyer
equipped machines, as the wire tends to break at the coil connection. Spark plug socket,
extension, and ratchet, and of course new spark-plug.
I kept these in their box, and placed each box in a small compartment. On Boyer
equipped machines the coils occasionally fail, so I carry a spare, which is also in the
tool roll. I think I have a spare black control box which will go in there too. The tool
roll rolls up nicely and is secured with straps, and will fit in my saddle bags. Good Insurance.
Burt Barrett
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Editors Page:- Oilyleaks by Clive Brooks
My Fellow Enthusiasts… the annual Frazier Park ride has come
and gone, I’ve always enjoyed this ride and this year, in a ride that
can sometimes be pretty warm, the temperature was perfect. I
doubt that it got over 70°, with clear skies and a good breeze.
About 26 riders showed up, of which about 20 were Classic British. Barry Sulkin kindly drove the Chase vehicle, which was happily not needed. Member Jim Meyer’s brother-in-law Tim put on
a great lunch at Harrington’s Ranch, our new lunch stop for the
last 3 years. …The “Quote Of The Day” from The Frazier Park
ride: "We can't have any squirreliness in the rear" by John Gardner
We have 3 Club events coming up in July, 1 – The Ojai Loop Street Ride, 2 – Our
annual A.G.M at Michael Harper-Smith’s house in Tarzana, 3 – The Rim of the World
Ride, please check the detail on our events calendar on page 17. Also note the changes to
the Malibu Mtn Ride on Aug 26th. Please try to attend the AGM, some officers are up for
election and we could use some fresh blood and ideas.
At our last directors’ meeting it was decided that the BSAOCSC will give out membership cards by request only, contact Steve Ortiz 951-245-5287
Once again I urge you all to send me your stories, articles, British Bike tech tips,
photos, and commentaries for us all to share, after all this is your newsletter.
Thanks again to those who have already contributed material to the Piled Arms,
and I hope you continue to do so. I desperately need fresh articles to keep this going.
Happy Independence Day Yanks
From all at the “Piled Arms” Production
team
CHECK YOUR MEMBERSHIP RENEWAL DATE (see front of envelope)
MAIL CHECK OR MONEY ORDER FOR $25.00 U.S. ($40.00 Overseas)
Make Checks Payable To: BSAOC/SC
Mail To:
BSAOC/SC, 11125 Westwood Blvd, Culver City, CA 90230
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Letters to the Editor
I was informed that member #1196 George Garvey of Ojai recently passed away, at
this printing I have no further details. GEORGE GARVEY, 2510 LADERA RANCH
RD. OJAI, CA. 93023 805-646-8714
I am a BSA club member. Earlier this month was the first vintage bike night at the Rock
Inn in Hughes Lake. It was a success for the operators of the "joint" Warren who just
got his 1975 Norton Commando back on the road. He is having another on on Wednesday evening, June 6 starting at 6PM to whenever. The first one features bangers and
mash. This one coming up features Shepard's pie and all you can eat spaghetti. The regular menu is also available.
If you could send this out to the club members maybe there are some others in the area
who might want to stop by. 17539 W Elizabeth Lake Rd, Lake Hughes, CA 93532
(661) 724-1855
South of 138, about 13 miles east of Lancaster
Jonathan Miller 1969 BSA A50 Royal Star - the spiffy blue one!
Dear Clive, I just wanted to thank you and all the other people who wrote such wonderful letters about Keith in your "Piled Arms" June newsletter. Also, a thank you for
everyone who attended his funeral, sent cards, flowers etc. It was a beautiful service and
he would have been very proud that so many people were there. It is very comforting to
know that so many people cared. The store is up for sale, because no one in the family
is able to take over for him. He was "one of a kind", and we miss him very much.
Regards,
Delores Moore and family
PUZZLER
( By BLMS, Originally Printed in PA, Dec ‘87)
Rearrange the jumbled letters below, to find the old addresses of a dozen once well
known British motor-cycle companies. To give you a clue; the first three are street
addresses and the remainder are the names of towns or city districts, Answers next
issue.
I. DUMP ASTOR DEAL
2. DRAM YOUR OAR
3. REDIRECT STABBER EG
4. SLO LEAKY
5. DIRECT DH
6. NOTCH LE CAKE
7. ELLEN GHAR
8. GAVE TENSE
9. NED RIME
I0. HENDY RESULT
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Frazier Park Ride Photos
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7
More Frazier Park Photos
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9
X75 Hurricane..by the late Barry Smith from Aug ‘88 P/A
The subject of this month's feature, is usually described as a Triumph, and certainly that's what the writing on the tank says. However a closer look at both the power
unit and the frame will show that it has the inclined cylinders and the double downtube front frame, that reveal it's true origin to be the B.S.A. A75 Rocket Three rather
than the Triumph Tl50 Trident! In fact the original design, or more correctly, the restyling effort, was commissioned by B.S.A. around l970, from Craig Vetter. Yes, that
one, the U.S. fairing guy.
One can guess at the reasons for the commission, which probably relates to the
whole B.S.A./Triumph triple saga; a story of procrastination and missed opportunity.
Briefly stated, the triple was a design exercise in the early sixties, as a stop-gap successor for the 650 cc twins, that designers Bert Hopwood and Doug Hele felt had already
reached the limit of their capacity and development. The triple would be a 500 cc twin
with an extra cylinder in-between, that could be produced using existing factory machinery. The ‘paper' design remained just that, as the man in charge was Edward
Turner, who saw no reason to supersede his beloved twin.
Towards the mid-sixties the situation would change dramatically, Turner retired,
and then B.S.A. got wind that Honda wasn't going to be content, with smaller capacity
machines, and was working on a 750 of their own.
Shock! Horror! Consternation, at the B.S.A. boardroom. Turner's successor was
Harry Sturgeon and when he found out that there was a design existing for a 750, he
didn't hesitate, and ordered prototypes be made immediately. They were running in a
modified Bonneville chassis in 1964, there were no major problems, and in this form it
could have been in production in 1965. Unfortunately for B.S.A. there was a disastrous
series of events, that started with the prolonged illness and death of Harry Sturgeon. He
was succeeded by Lionel Josef, who set-up the soon to become infamous, design and
research center at Umberslade Hall, which was entrusted with the final design of the
triples. what eventually emerged from 'Slumberglades' in '68 to barely beat the Honda
CB750 to the marketplace, was a 'European' style bike, whose wide slab-sided tank,
big mid-section covers, and deep ray-gun silencers, gave it a chunky, heavy look. Then
too, everything it had, the Honda had 'in spades'; four cylinders not three, five speeds
not four, a disc brake not a drum, plus an electric start and a lower price tag!
Back now, to Craig Vetter. Presumably the
weeping and wailing of the U.S. sales people was
heard in the U.K. and the go-ahead was given for
the restyling effort. Vetter felt that he knew the
U.S. market and the sort of styling that would sell
(at that time it was the 'Easy Rider' look) and he
also had some ideas of his own about how a bike
should look. Basically he thought that it should be a
simple, functional, machine, with emphasis on the
appearance of a highly visible power unit, and a
'light' look for the front and rear ends. Rider comfort required a slimmed-down seat front and reduced tank width at the knees, while the noises that
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Craig Vetter
finally emerged from the silencers should be recognizable as those of a motorcycle!
Generally I would have to agree, that those objectives make for a worthy set of
aims, although practicality should enter into the equation somewhere. As can be seen
from the pictures, the Ceriani type forks lightened -up the front end, while the fiberglass
combined fuel tank, small skirt and seat base did the same for the rest of the bike. The
three separate pipes and megaphone silencers took care of the noise department, deeper
head finning enhanced the engine's appearance, and the colour scheme was an orangeyred with a yellow flash stripe that also looked as if it was lighter, than the 'heavy' dark
colours of the standard models.
The Hurricane would not make it into production as a B.S.A. as 1972 was the last
year for the A75. However at the end of that year the X75 Triumph was on display at the
London Motor-cycle Show, and with it's lengthened front forks, tank/seat unit, and three
pipe exhaust, looked much as the Vetter prototype of 1970. Rather interestingly, between 1970 and 1972 the stock triples had been extensively revamped; with 'skinny' aluminium slider forks, slim tapered silencers and light coloured paint schemes that took
pounds off the machines appearance! As a result the Hurricane's differences to the stock
models for l973 were nowhere as great as in 1970.
The X75 was essentially a 'boulevard cruiser' that provided reasonable comfort and
handling for it's rider. It was expensive, listing for 895 pounds in the U.K. about $1,800
at that time. This was substantially more than the Honda CB750, which couldn't have
helped sales too much.
Of course it's main styling features, were at the same time it's main practical limitations; the tiny fuel tank meant that the thirsty three had very little range between gas
stops, and the three separate pipes, which hung-out there more than somewhat meant
that exuberant cornering had to be confined to left hand bends!
It didn't catch-on, it would take high powered, and high priced advertising by the
Japanese, some years later, to convince 'Joe Average' that 'chopper' styling was the
greatest thing since sliced bread, and that he had to have it! The Hurricane was just a
little ahead of it's time!
B.M.L.S.
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Thumper History….BSA Triple by Marianus von Korff
Back in the early seventies, a friend of mine (who I did not meet until later) bought
the Rocket 3. His was Frederick Grue. He was an artist (paintings, mainly oriental
still lives and later some land scape’s) but he had worked for either Honda or Kawasaki Racing and painted their race bikes (I remember him mention that he went to
Daytona with them). Well Frederick customized his Rocket 3 and turned it in to a
Café Racer( he told me he used to race up on Mullholland Hwy). He had the frame
nickel plated he replaced the spoke wheels with Morris Mags, Honda 350 Disc
brakes to the front and rear and a Lockheed 50 spoke polished sprocket. He gutted
the speedometer and odometer and replaced it with a road racing tachometer. He replaced the original handle bars with Tomaselli clip-ons and one rear view mirror on
the left handle bar. The chrome exhaust was replaced with a road racing baffle (which
he always said sounds like an Offenhauser) ((confirmed by a guy on a BMW at the
Tuluca Loop run who said “this thing sounds like an Offenhauser” )) He also had the
engine tweaked for better performance. He called the bike Thumper. He customized
the paint job himself.
In March 1977 the bike was featured on the front cover and inside of “BIG BIKE”
Magazine (On a dessert looking landscape with a Yellow Honda 400 in the background) then in April 1977 the bike was featured in “STREET BIKE” Magazine Volume 3 Number 4. I came to California in 1977 and met Frederick sometime around
1979. He proudly displayed the Bike to and even took me on a short ride in early
1980’s. At some point he moved to Muncie Indiana took the Bike with him but fell
ill. He had tried to sell the Bike to me on many occasions but I did not have the kind
o money he was asking for. Frederick passed away in the 90’S and I was lucky to
buy the bike out of the Estate sale. I brought the bike back to Ca. and after years of
searching found a Brit named John French who was willing to restore the bike in his
spare time ( I really do not know much about mechanics on bikes or I would have
tackled it myself, glad I did not) eight years later and some good money well spent, I
am now able to ride it and I do ride it not just a museum piece. We also replaced the
old manual points with an electronic ignition system and replaced the old braded
brake lines and I added a mirror to the right handle bar. I also had John beef up the
engine a wee bit more. I had the old paint job replaced exactly as it was. I had the
name Thumper painted on the side in honor of my friend Frederick. Other than that
the bike is exactly like Frederick designed it.
I found out that Craig Vetter (who designed the bike) has a Data Base site on-line
which has a picture of the BIG BIKE magazine cover of the bike. I sent him an email with the history, as I have now given to you, and he replied stating he was wondering who owned the bike now, he heard someone was having it restored and he
thought it was the best of the customized ones stating “ I love that one”. In his Data
Base he was able to track 139 of them, and now he found the `140.
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More of Marianus’s Triple
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H.R.H Queen Elizabeth 11 Celebrating her 60 years on
the British throne, taking a spin on a BSA C10 around
the Buckingham Palace Gardens. Note the Royal Helmet
Members please be aware that sometime in the next few months
we will be publishing our current Membership Roster, containing
your name, address, phone # and email address. If there is any info
that you DON’T want published please , call or email me . Editor
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Members only….For Sale/Wanted
Free: I have about 10 five drawer filing cabinets to give away. Take one or all
FREE!!!
Cabinets are located in Culver City. Call Barry Sulkin 310 569 1383
FREE ENTRANCE TO:
$$$$$ LONG BEACH SWAP MEET $$$$$
$$$$ IF YOU RIDE YOUR BIKE IN $$$$
Contact: Barry Sulkin, Treasurer, for tickets
310-569-1383, [email protected]
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
BSAOC / SC members, we are updating our e-mail list in order to
contact you for any last minute changes in our calendar events, so
please contact Steve Ortiz at ; [email protected].
Club members, “The Piled Arms” is obviously limited to printing
photos, on it’s pages, so, Steve Ortiz has conjured up a “you tube”
website that can show member’s Brit Bike related, home videos. We
have a few up to view currently, and would like more. So if you have
any video and want to share it with our membership please contact
Steve at; [email protected], or phone him at …
(951) 245-5287, and he’ll walk you through the “uploading” process.
www.youtube.com/BSAOCSC
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Calendar of Events
July 1 (Sun) SCNOC–Wrightwood over the Crest. Meet at Burger Continental, 535 S.
Lake, Pasadena. Ride at 10am, Info: www.socalnorton.com or call Bib at 626-791-0259
July 8 (Sun) * BSAOCSC OJAI LOOP STREET RIDE Meet at the Starbucks Coffee
Shop patio just off of Esplanade Dr. in time to be ready to ride at 10 AM. To get there,
go south on Vineyard Ave. from Hwy 101, turn right on Esplanade Dr, go about 2
blocks and turn right at the 1st stop sign which is just after you pass the patio on the
right. Turn right again and come back to Starbucks parking lot. For more info call AJ
Jim at (805) 485-1688 and Barbara Barrett (661) 703-9249
July 8 (Sun) Vintage Bike O.C. – Monthly meet at Beach Burgers, 19102 Beach Blvd,
Huntington Beach, Ca. 2 – 4pm.
July 15 (Sun) * BSAOCSC 35th ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING Doors open at
11:00 am. Meeting begins at 12pm at the home of Michael Harper-Smith 5375 Tampa
Ave, Tarzana, Ca. 91306. There may be a last minute alternate location (MEMBERS
ONLY) Info: Barbara Barrett (661) 703-9249 or Barry Sulkin (310) 398-6406
July 29 (Sun) * BSAOCSC RIM OF THE WORLD RIDE Meet at the Mervyn’s /
Walmart, Parking Lot at 4210, Highland Ave, Highland, Ca, @ 9 AM, Ride at 10
AM. Info: Steve Ortiz (951) 245-5287 or Barbara Barrett (661) 703-9249
July 29 (Sun) Long Beach Motorcycle Swap-meet, Veterans Stadium, Info
www.toppingevents.com
Aug 12 (Sun) * BSAOCSC COOL RIDE meet at 9 AM at Gateway Plaza Shopping
Center, 101 Fwy. at Topanga Cyn. Blvd., ride at 10 AM Info: Barry Sulkin (310) 3986406 or Barbara Barrett (661) 703-9249
Aug 11-18 (Sat. – Sat.)*** International Rally Scania, Sweden
August 12 (Sun) SC NOC– Prince of Darkness Ride. Meet in Hollywood, T.B.D. Ride
leaves at 7pm, Mulholland Drive to Toluca Lake. Info- www.socalnorton.com, or call
Bib at 626-791-0259
August 26 (Sun) * BSAOCSC MALIBU MTN “MOVIE MAGIC” RIDE Start at
Freedom Park parking lot, just off Pleasant Valley Rd, on the very west end of the Camarillo Airport property. Be ready to ride at 10 AM with a full tank of gas. Ride is approximately 35 to 40 miles to Paramount Movie Ranch , where the National Park Service, will put on a “Movie Magic” Presentation on how movies have been and still are
being made there. From there the return route is your choice.
Freedom Park is south from Hwy 101 on Las Posas Road in Camarillo. Right on Pleasant Valley Road, then straight thru 2 signal intersections, then past the airport to the
west end of the property, then right turn. Info: Jim Holbrook (805) 485-1688
or Barbara Barrett (661) 703-9249
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BSA Owners Club of Southern California
Email & Phone Directory
Specialists
Gold Star/Winged Wheel: Dick Newby
No Email (714) 839-7072
**********
Pre Unit Twin: Clive Brooks
[email protected] (714) 771-2534
**********
Grey Porridge: (-: Position Open :-)
**********
Unit Singles/B50: Mike Johnstone
(562) 631-0788
**********
Rocket III/Trident: Burt Barrett
[email protected] (661) 832-6109
**********
Triumph/Sidehack: Russ Smith
[email protected] (818) 343-8045
**********
BSA Unit Twins: Bill Getty
[email protected]
**********
Specialty Tool Consultant: Craig Rich
Questions: (562) 868-9389
**********
Please make calls between 9am and 9pm
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BSA Owners Club Regalia
Baseball Caps $14 + $6
S&H
Sweatshirts $25 —$28 + $6 S & H
Official BSA owners club “T” Shirt. Comes in Blue, Red, Grey
and Black. Large, XL and XXL. Price is $20 for short sleeve
and long sleeve $25. BSA Club sweat shirts are available in
limited colors and sizes. Price includes shipping and handling. Take delivery at a Club gathering and save $6. Sizes
and colors are limited, so place your order quickly!
Contact—Randy Ressell: Regalia Coordinator
Hm. (714) 448-1179, E-mail: [email protected]
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Here’s “Old Ed” Meagor in full battle dress at
a July 4th parade last year, getting a 2nd look.