December

IS
OF
M AN S E
CT
I
N
O
VINTAGEMANN
LE
The Official Journal of the Isle of Man Section V.M.C.C.
Issue 24
Dec ‘10
£3.00
Inside - Rare pic of Ariel VB2 1200cc
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Secretary’s Notes
Seems like only yesterday that I was writing my notes for the first magazine of 2010, now Christmas is almost here and 2010 fast coming to an
end. What a year the Club has had, possibly the busiest and most successful
in recent Club history. Ten social runs, seven club nights, some with guest
speakers, eight special events, ten trials, the annual dinner, both the TT and
MGP Rallies and not forgetting the VMCC Festival of Jurby. On top of all
of this, the design of a new exciting pro-active web site, fast link communication to our members and four issues of Vintage Mann. A Club double our
size would have difficulty organising such a calendar of events, consequently I make no excuses, on behalf of all our members, in thanking everyone on the Committee and their partners for contributing so much to the
success of our Club in 2010.
Cont. Overleaf
Cover Pic..
That intrepid traveller Curly Goodwin, on his 1956 500cc Norton 88, salutes us
on a lunch stop somewhere in Spain. He is on the Norton International Rally at
Colombes, a five day event held from 8th - 12th July with the support of the Moto
Club Piston. Riding from home on the Isle of Man Curly covered approximately
1500 miles.
By 23rd July he was off again, this time to Germany for the Moselland Veteran
Tour, a seven day event which included a trip into Luxembourg, organised by Willi
and Katrina Von Den Driesch. This time he was accompanied by Johny Johnson
on his 1928 Sunbeam,which had just been rebuilt. Johny had to stop more than
once to adjust the oil supply, when Curly was engulfed in clouds of black smoke
from the exhaust. Again Curly was riding from home and this time covered about
2000 miles.
Projects for next year include a five day tour to Spain in June doing 300 Km a
day, The French Alpine Rally based out of Gap in July, and France again in
September for the Terrot Club's Aubrac Rally. Phew! Not bad for someone who
will be 76 by then.
Job Grimshaw
Page 1
One event stands out in my mind as a milestone in the Club’s history, and
that is the Festival of Jurby. This event has grown to be the largest gathering of people and motorcycles seen on the Island in recent years. We, the
Vintage Motor Cycle Club Isle of Man Section, have received copious
praise from not only visitors, but also local residents and also various Government Departments. Lots of effort, lots of meetings, and lots of preparation made for a fantastic day. The Events Committee should stand up and
pat themselves on the back for running such a prestigious well run event.
They showed to everyone how important and well loved the vintage/classic
scene is to both residents and visitors. If you did not attend the event, then
the photographs in this magazine, or the hundreds of photos on our website, will give you an idea of what you missed. We have many others to
thank for helping make this day so successful:The Tourist Board for having the confidence in our Section’s ability to pull
off an event of this scale, and for their willingness to help guarantee the
Section against financial loss.
Footman James, the VMCC chosen insurer, for their much needed sponsorship.
Our members for their help on the day, in marshalling, selling programmes, dealing with the rubbish in fact anything and everything.
The signing on team in dealing with all the various languages and problems
with a smile.
Ray Knight and his team of travelling marshals for their many hours on
the track. But there is a special thanks that must go to Stuart McCrudden
M.D. of G4S here on the Island. He and his team’s enthusiasm for this event
enabled us to show just what the VMCC IOM Section could achieve against
all the odds.
Enough about Jurby. The MGP Rally attracted a larger entry of riders from
around the World than hitherto, with riders attending from Japan, New
Zealand, Australia, USA and most of the European countries. The Events
Committee were really stretched this year, and we are appealing for additional help to come onto the Committee. We are looking for team players
who can be tasked with a job and left to get on with it and in exchange we
can offer friendship, support, a good laugh, a shoulder to cry on and the
knowledge at the end of the year that you have made a difference. Just contact myself or Richard Birch for more details.
Page 2
Recently our good friend and Committee member Steve Price has used his
computer expertise to design a new Section web site. There are many new
features such as classified ads, a forum for discussion and advice, video
clip section and back copies of Vintage Mann on-line. Because it is now
hosted in-house he can now put on next day Club Run reports and photos,
reports on Club nights. Steve is also very keen to have a section on member’s bikes. So, anyone with a short story to tell, or interesting machine to
share with other members, just get in touch with Steve. This new site enables like minded enthusiast from around the world to see what we are up to
and to join in via the forums. It promotes the Isle of Man Section globally
and it shows what the Isle of Man has to offer to visiting motorcyclists.
Steve has been busy compiling a list of Section member’s emails. This is so
he can send out reminders of forthcoming events, any change of venue/time
and any extra special events that crop up. Members without an email address can be sent a message via their mobile, and all this at the press of a
button. This list will not be passed on to anyone else and will not be used
for anything other than IOM Section information. If you have not given
Steve your details yet, PLEASE contact him his contact details are in the
magazine.
Your Club has also been heavily involved this year in protesting against the
outrageous increase in historic vehicle taxation. Representatives from the
Section insisted on a meeting with the present Minister to present him with
our petition containing some 3,500 signatures all protesting at the increased
charges. Following this we submitted a document for the way ahead as part
of the Government’s promised consultation. At the time of writing nothing
has been heard back from the Minister, however all members should be
aware that although it has gone quiet we are still on the case and will fight
vigorously to defend the motorcycling heritage of the Isle of Man.
Another topic that landed on the Committee’s desk this year was the Reciprocal Health Agreement. We immediately realised the importance of this
not only to Section members travelling across but also to visiting family
and to visitors to our TT and MGP Rallies and a cheap, easily accessed
travel insurance was negotiated for our members. As it happened, the NHS
agreement was restored but the insurance is still available and very good
value for money.
Page 3
Our Club Runs have been very well attended this year, apart from the all
day run, resulting in a poor turnout at Job’s house in Kirk Michael where a
lot of effort had been put into the catering. Obviously an all day event is
not welcomed by our members and this will change for 2011. I would like
to take this opportunity to thank all those who have been involved with the
catering for our various runs. The social side of our events should not be
underestimated, and play a large part towards the much improved numbers
we are seeing.
The Trials Section has done very well this year with Shaun, Geoff and Graham putting in hours of effort each time. However I must appeal to members to come and have a look for yourselves, and if you like what you see
become an observer. You will be given training and will take charge of a
Section, it really is enjoyable watching the skills, and sometimes lack of
skills, of the riders young and old. Please contact me for more details, without the help we need this activity might be lost to the Club. Not only does it
introduce youngsters and their dads to the VMCC but it is a welcome generator of income for the Club.
We are busy planning next year’s calendar of events. If you feel there is
anything we should add to the schedule, please get in touch so that we have
time to include it.
Well that is all for now, have a good Christmas and hope to see you all on
the Hangover Run on the 27th December.
Tony E.
Suzy Starlite, Croit-e-Vey, Breeze Hill,Old Laxey. IM4 7LD
Mark Thomas, 1 Ballaghaue Cottages, Andreas Rd, Andreas. IM7 4EW
David O'Hanlon, 8 Charles St, Peel. IM5 1AF
Ross Bradley, 5 Horseshoe Avenue, Douglas IM2 1QT
Page 4
Yellow Belly Notes
The Real Thing?
In the April issue of Classic Bike an article acts out the pros and cons of the
replica Honda RC163 cottage industry, for that is what it is becoming.
They are everywhere! The debate rumbles on, and I must hold my hand up
and say that my Rickman Aermacchi is nothing more or less than a copy. A
recent e-bay sale reached the ultimate; a replica Suzuki racer for sale and
standing next to it, a replica Barry Sheene! (It was the chap who appears at
many shows, not always to everyone’s delight)
A collector of ex-works racing machines once told me of a working
definition that is applied to the clocks used by navigators at sea. A replica
is an accurate rendering of the time-piece by the same person or firm that
made it in the first place. After that it becomes a copy and beyond that it
becomes a fake.
Pic 1
Page 5
There, I have done
it, I have used the
‘F’ word; not
‘evocation’,‘recreation’, ‘believed
to be’, ‘continuation’
or any of the other
terms which fill
glossy auction
catalogues. No- one
dares to use the ’F’
word and yet I have
stood next to a bike
on the auction floor,
looked at the
catalogue, and seen
it described as a very
important bike,
belonging to an exworks racer , when I
knew full well that
Pic 2
the bike it was
pretending to be , was in the ex- works racers house. I mentioned this and
was told, feebly, that it was the factory spare bike. Caveat Emptor!
Using a race bike means changing parts, modifying, discarding components
for upgraded ones, damage repairs etc.. To ‘restore ‘ a race bike is
something I touched on in issue 22 of ‘Vintage Mann’ and I firmly believe
that much of a bike’s history can too easily be erased.
The key to authenticity then, is provenance. This can be found in
documentation, photographs, etc. and any bike must withstand the scrutiny
of known and impartial experts. All of this is my own opinion of course,
and I am aware that I am beginning to sound like counsel for the
prosecution. I freely admit to enjoy watching the Paton, Suzuki and MV
Agusta replicas race at the Manx Grand Prix and also take delight in
hearing the grumbles of owners of replica British singles, about the
ineligibility of such bikes. Surely they must see the irony of the situation.
Page 6
Pic 3
Imagine then, how I felt when I learned that a good friend had left to me,
in his will, a bike that is unique, ex-works and a piece of British motor
cycling history: the Oscar Bertram Greeves M.B.E. outfit, Pic 1. As a fan
of that marque (I already own a 1960 Scottish and a 1966 Silverstone) I
knew of the outfit’s existence and had seen a photograph of it in Mick
Walker and Rob Carrick’s book.
So, down to Thundersley in Essex towing an old trailer , the outfit being
too big to fit in my van. Less than half a mile from the former factory it
was handed over to me together with some amazing paperwork. Pic 2
shows that the original registration recorded a 360c.c. Challenger engine
but this was changed to a 380c.c. Q.U.B. unit. The sidecar is a Watsonian
‘Flight’ single seater and Pic 3 shows Bert outside his own factory gates
in 1969.
Page 7
Pic 4
Throughout the journey home , as people overtook the van, they would be
smiling broadly at the outfit, a reaction it seems to induce in everyone who
sees it. Pic 4 shows Linda demonstrating the ‘Greeves Grin’ as she tried the
chair for size when the bike arrived in Lincolnshire. Will it be restored? No
chance! It will be made to run again and left as it is. Some items need to be
renewed but only where necessary.
What to do with it? It would be a shame to just lock it away in the shed.
Perhaps to be loaned to a collection ,which is open to the public for
everyone to enjoy would be an idea - as long as I could give it an outing
once or twice a year. I believe that Bert once took it to the Isle of Man now that would be interesting.
Pat Sproston, Lincolnshire
Page 8
VMCC (IOM Section) Trial
Glenlough Sunday 17 October 2010
Once again there was another good
turnout. Twenty-six riders made their
way to Glenlough at Glen Vine to enjoy
a couple of hours of fun splashing about
in the river and dodging the trees.
As usual there were two routes of differing difficulty with the ‘A’ route
being the hardest. With the entry forms dealt with, and the entry money
handed over, 2pm came and the riders were split into two groups and were
set-off in search of the eight sections. With four laps to complete it would
be a couple of hours or more before the flags were pulled up and everyone
went home.
Clive Robinson had carried
out his normal task of
recruiting (press-ganging?)
willing volunteers to help as
observers, one or more needed
for each section. With eight
sections this can be difficult to
achieve, so if anyone reading
this has yet to experience the
joys of helping at one of the
trials feel free to turn up and
you will be shown what to do.
It can be a truly rewarding
experience, particularly if you
enjoy having a good laugh
watching someone try to take
a motorcycle somewhere it
does not want to go, or
frequently a motorcycle taking
a rider somewhere he does not
wish to venture.
Pic: Bulldog
Michael Harding - winner of Vintage ‘B’ route
Page 9
At the very least just come
and watch, spectators are
more than welcome. You
could of course get a bike and
ride if you really want to get
involved at the sharp end.
Machines (and riders) of any
age are eligible so, no
excuses, come and have a go.
In the end Shaun Huxley,
riding his 250 James, dropped
nine marks and claimed a
narrow victory by just one
mark over Phil Ward on his
twin-shock Yamaha in the
Vintage members ‘A’ route
class. Third place saw a close
Pic: Bulldog
battle between Jim Davidson
and Stuart Clague. Both riders
Stuey Clague - fourth on Vintage ‘A’ route
dropped twenty-six marks and
remarkably both rode 22 of the sections feet up. Vintage Club rules use a
tie-break system with age of machine taking priority. So on this occasion
Jim squeezed into the top three by virtue of riding his Triumph Tiger Cub
as Stuey was riding a twin-shock Fantic.
Riding the ‘B’ route in the Vintage members class, Mike Harding, on his
twin-shock Suzuki, lead the way. A creditable performance by Stephen
Franklin, on the less than powerful 1954 197cc James saw him in second
place. Stephen Taylor came a close third four marks behind on his twinshock Honda fourstroke.
Also riding the harder ‘A’ route, but in the Invitation Class for non Vintage
Club members, Sammy Ball on the twin-shock Fantic took top spot
dropping only five marks, mostly on Section 2 when exiting the river.
The most popular class of the event, with eleven riders, saw the Invitation
‘B’ route win taken by Andrew Brown (GasGas) dropping a mere two
Page 10
marks. Paul Doherty riding the older twin shock Yamaha put in a great ride
to take second place on five marks. In seventh place amongst the
monoshock bikes was David Haynes on his 350 Triumph. This was a really
good ride by David as he dropped only 17 marks. With Daniel Smith in
first place he and Thomas Cairns both put in strong rides in the Invitation
Youth ‘B’ class and would have given some of the adults a run for their
money.
As always thanks go to all officials, riders and particularly the landowner
for helping make a enjoyable days sport.
Pics and words by Graham Kneale
RESULTS
VMCC members (A route)
1, Shaun Huxley (James) nine
2, Phil Ward (Yamaha) 10
3,Jim Davidson (Triumph) 26
4, Stuart Clague (Fantic) 26
VMCC members (B route)
1, Michael Harding (Suzuki) 22
2, Stephen Franklin (James) 36
3, Stephen Taylor (Honda) 40
Invitation (A route)
1, Sammy Ball (Fantic) 5
2, Olly Megson (Sherco) 10
3, Paul Smith (Suzuki) 20
4, Ralph Mooney (Montesa) 24
5, Nigel Woods (Fantic) 37
6, Alan Lund (Fantic) 53
Invitation (B route)
1, Andrew Brown (GasGas) two
2, Paul Doherty (Yamaha) five
3, David Craine (Honda Montesa) 5
4, Brian Kinrade (Beta) 7
5, Mark Moyer (Sherco) 9
6, Justin Warby (Scorpa) 14
7, David Haynes (Triumph) 17
8, Barry Davies (Scorpa) 24
9, Richard Kearney (Scorpa) 29
10, Gary Smith(Montesa) 40
11, Rob Henwood (GasGas) 86
Invitation Youth (B Route)
1, Daniel Smith (Beta) five
2, Thomas Cairns (Beta) 20
Page 11
DOUGLAS MEMORIES - PART 2
by Frank Farrington (Radco)
Revving-up the Norton’s engine outside Mrs. Sheard’s residence one
evening, I was aware of a gaunt figure, plainly attired in gabardine mac
and trilby, standing behind me. He was intently listening, head cocked to
one side. “Sounds like the drive-side main bearing to me” he commented.
I had decided to enter the TT Rally on a more appropriate machine, the
1926 Norton-Hughes racing sidecar outfit. It was very similar to the 1925
Sidecar TT outfits campaigned by Graham Walker and others. With Don
Bridgewood of ‘The Blue ‘Un’ in the chair we had done a couple of fast
laps of the old TT course,
had what they now call a
‘photo shoot’ out on the
circuit , and thoroughly
enjoyed ourselves on the
way back. Except for that
noise. Somewhere in the
engine’s bowels there was
a rattle. It didn’t seem to
slow the bike but was nevertheless a little worrying.
H.Rem Fowler (1907 Peugeot-Norton)
Page 12
Obviously, the sound of a
vintage 490cc Norton on
an open pipe had diverted
the onlooker from his
evening stroll. As I was
kneeling on the footpath
tweaking the throttle, I
glanced round. His face
looked vaguely familiar. I
revved the Norton’s pushrod motor once again. The
rattle came and went, then
developed into a sort of
rumble. “Mains, no doubt
about it” the gentleman confirmed. Shaking my hand he
quietly said, “Francis
Beart’s the name. Good
luck, I hope it gets you
home.” And with that he
was gone.
Needless to say Mr. Beart
was absolutely right in his
diagnosis. Back home the
driveside main bearing fell
into three pieces. This was
replaced and the crankcase
sleeved but the Norton was
to suffer a monumental
blow-up later, in an Oulton
vintage solo event. Down
the long straight I heard a
drumming sound from the
upper works. I stuffed my
glove between the flat tank
John Bone with the 1921 TT New Imp at St Johns
top and the frame tube, hoping it would go away. The engine was back on dope with a c.r. of about
10:1, sporting cams based on info passed to me by H.F.Brockbank, the
Norton sprint ace.
There was an almighty bang, followed by that eerie silence we all dread.
The gudgeon pin had sheared in two places, the piston clouting the valves,
bending the conrod and forcing the flywheels apart. Fortunately spares
were plentiful – I bought another Model 18 engine from a Liverpool
breakers for £2.10s. This time I was less ambitious with the tuning.
Most of you will have read Graham Walker’s reminiscences in the ‘Seen
From The Saddle’ , recently re-run in The Classic Motor Cycle, so there’s
little I can add except to comment that if ever there was a better sidecar
than the TT Hughes I’ve yet to see it. Graham Walker was still as enthusiPage 13
astic as ever in the 1950s, quite capable of testing a solo or sidecar Manx
Norton at racing speeds. Naturally he was interested in my TT Hughes,
having designed it in the first place. All the outfits had s/c wheel brakes.
Some were hand-operated by means of an extra lever on the l.h.s. and some
by foot. It was an advantage, he said, on the Mountain Circuit to be able to
operate the third brake independently. His own Hughes had an extra fuel
tank under the seat and was painted canary yellow. So far as I recall all the
Sidecar TT Nortons in 1925 were propelled by 588cc motors, which gave
that extra bit of bottom-end power.
One other enduring memory is following Eric Oliver up The Mountain in
some sort of parade. He was on the Norton Watsonian, Stan Dibben in the
chair. Stan was casually sitting sideways on the platform, chatting to Eric. I
knocked my Sturmey Archer’s hand lever into middle gear with the intention of blasting past. Just at that moment a travelling marshal came alongside and gave me a
knowing look. My
moment of glory was
thwarted. Just as
well. I probably
would have been
drummed out of the
VMCC. I’ll leave it
to the reader to imagine how
E.R.Oliver would
have reacted!
The 250 JAP would rev to over 6000 rpm
Page 14
The rather fuzzy
picture of a young
glum-looking author
at Oulton also features John Griffiths,
who at the time
owned (or had on
long-term loan) the
ex-Rem Fowler Peugeot-Norton which
The 1926 Norton TT Hughes outside my house circa 1958
won the Twin-Cylinder Class in 1907. When I snapped Rem in Douglas,
there was some controversy as to whether it was the actual machine or not.
Some critics said the frame was different. Others pointed out minute engine
details which didn’t add up. Mr. Fowler’s comment was that it looked like
the same motorcycle, or words to that effect. My own thoughts, for what
they are worth, is that most racing machines ( ex-Works Velos for example) have had something or other changed over the years and the old Norton was no exception.
Another ex-TT winning machine I came to know fairly well was the 250cc
New Imperial (see photos) then owned by John Bone. It had been ridden to
victory in the 1921 Lightweight by Doug Prentice. Its gearbox contained
some of the original thick oil used by Prentice; when John acquired the
New Imp it took about 24hrs to fill a Castrol tin jug from a five-gallon
drum. I was fortunate to be able to sample this little machine during a
Lands End-John O’Groats run and can testify to the remarkable performance of its 250cc side-valve J.A.P. These engines were noted for their ability to rev. Phil Irving quotes 8000rpm, which seems a lot. Certainly, in their
day, they would give some five hundreds a run for their money.
Page 15
The Norton Outfit shows its paces Don Bridgewood in the chair
My last visit to The Island was around twenty five years ago—how time
flies! I had the Big Port Ajay with me on that occasion. Every time I lit up
the acetylene lamps in the evening a crowd gathered. One night, the gas did
not seem to be forthcoming and I remarked to my pal Richard Lancaster,
whose P.V. Bradshaw was already lit-up, “I’m having trouble with my
water”. Someone in the crowd heard this and shouted, “You should have
kept off the Castletown Ale!”
More memories flood in but they will have to wait for another day.
Frank Farrington (Radco)
Page 16
Circa 1908 Minerva
In the early days of the 20th century selected respected motorcycle
makers including Rex, Humber and King offered forecar attachments as
an accessory. And even after the introduction of sidecars they continued
with such concepts…
By 1903/4 the motorcycle and forecar attachment had developed into entire three wheeled cars rather than an aftermarket attachment for fitting to a
motorcycle, and continued in production until the second half of the century's first decade.
Page 17
One can only assume the beaus’ young ladies who often later became long
suffering motorcycling wives must have been blessed with extreme tolerance or were so blindly in love their vision was blinkered. While the seat
of a forecar was often comfortable and the passenger was well ahead of the
motorcycle engine's exhaust smoke, heat and smell in bad weather they
copped the full force of the elements and think of the dangers. The passenger was to the fore of any frontal crash and most likely would have been
pitched into the point of impact. In the event of the driver clipping a grass
bank or similar they'd be launched into ditches, dykes and hedges. While
the trailer passenger may be spared such dangers they would never finish a
trip clean as road dirt, stones, exhaust vapour and oil spray would be directed over them. Something better was required.
One or two makers including the Oakleigh Motor Company claimed to
have 'invented' the motorcycle sidecar as early as 1900 and famous sidecar
makers Mills and Fulford were in business from 1902. However the
Graham Bros patent 1447/1903 is considered as the birth of the sidecar
was we know it.
An explanation is required. Taking the Oakleigh Motor Company
concept as an example; their
'sidecar' comprised an adapted
cycle/motorcycle passenger trailer
with one wheel removed and converted for attachment with telescopic arms to the side of a
motorcycle or cycle. Oakleigh
claimed that their attachment
could be fitted to any cycle /
motorcycle in two minutes.
While the Oakleigh and similar
designs would be near unrecognisable to us today the patented
concept of the Graham brothers
from Enfield, North London
would be very familiar. Their patPage 18
ent covered the sidecar chassis to
which either a passenger or commercial body was mounted.
Passenger/s travelled in what was
considered by the press and advertisers alike 'the sociable position' - by the rider's side - and the
chassis itself was mounted to the
cycle or motorcycle's side with
four fixing points. The only major improvement to the Graham
brothers patent, which was later
universally adopted, was to move
the sidecar wheel forward of the
motorcycle rear wheel instead of
in line as the Graham brothers
patent details.
Love them or hate them sidecars
were to become an overnight success and although selected makers including Humber and Rex stuck with the forecar design for a few more years
1903 can be regarded as the birth of the sidecar. An unexpected by-product
of the sidecar was the stability it gave motorcycles on the poor roads of the
day. The big fear of many solo rider was sideslip especially on the greasy
wood block road surfaces found in many major cities. With three wheels
on their wagon 'dreaded' sideslip was instantly forgotten, or so claimed
sidecar makers. Oakleigh even offered £20 to any owner who could provoke his outfit to slip sideways 'even on a greased' surface.
Quite apart from the stability some riders felt a sidecar gave their motorcycles passengers travelled in reasonable comfort to the side of the machine
avoiding much road filth and they were less vulnerable than their fellow
forecar passengers. Selected pioneer sidecar makers favoured the term 'side
carriages' but soon the names we still know today of sidecar, outfit and
motorcycle combination entered common usage. Clearly having too much
time on their hands a few inventors came up with some truly odd variations on the sidecar theme including clipping a standard cycle alongside
the motorcycle in the sidecar position with linked steering.
Page 19
Another twist on the sidecar theme was the two-wheeled side carriage,
again with linked steering to the rider's handlebars, Walter Lowen and
Co. of London described their two-wheeled side carriage of 'unique merit
and handsome appearance.' Ambitious marketing? But perhaps the strangest of all was the concept of fitting both left and right hand sidecars to a
single machine thus doubling the passenger carrying capacity.
The “modern” Watsonian - See Rider Profile - page 42
Seeing the potential business opportunities of serving the growing motorcycle industry without needing the engineering facilities of a motorcycle
maker, sidecar manufactures appeared overnight. Many however weathered WW1 including Mills & Fulford and Montgomery who served
through the veteran and vintage period while others exampled by Noxal
(1904 - 1955) and Sandum (1905 - c1957) survived two world wars and
the great recession to remain in production for decades. However many
early pioneer sidecar manufacturers lasted just a few years including
Trafalgar (1902 - 6) and Liberty who were the first maker to build sidecars
under the Graham Bros patent.
Many motorcycle makers soon listed sidecars in their accessory range,
some designed and built their own, others commissioned a sidecar maker
to manufacture on their behalf and a few even bought a sidecar manufacturing company simply to take over production. Of the UK pioneer makers
only Watsonian, founded in 1912 (1911 in some sources) remain in production today, albeit with changes of ownership and they are currently
Europe's largest sidecar manufacturer.
Richard Rosenthal
Page 20
Jurby Festival - Martin Stratford-Parson fancies his chances at Speedway!
Page 21
The Gigantic Fest
IF YOU WEREN’T THERE …
Photo by Kathy Taylor
Page 22
tival of Jurby 2010
Photo by Kathy Taylor
… JUST LOOK WHAT YOU MISSED!
Page 23
John McGuinness on his 130 mph lap bike and David Plant on his 1911 Indian
come together to celebrate a hundred years of racing on the TT Mountain Course.
Page 24
A photo taken about 1965 of a young Raymond Ainscoe sitting in the
same Norton TT Hughes outfit previously owned by Frank Farrington
(see Douglas Memories page 12)
Page 25
or the story of the “Yorkshire Experience” 2010
On Friday 10th September 2010 a group of Isle of Man VMCC section
members gathered at the Sea Terminal in Douglas to begin their journey
across for the Yorkshire Experience. Ably organised and led by Job
Grimshaw on a Triumph Speed Twin, with Curly Goodwin on his 500
Norton Dominator following in his wheel tracks. The remainder of the
party played “chicken” and rode modern bikes. Tony on a Kawasaki W650,
Len on a Suzuki SV650S, Roger on a modern Triumph Tiger 100 and Brian
on his Sachs 800 Roadster Cruiser.
Once on terra - firma at Heysham we set off for Pateley Bridge and Mrs
Nelson’s very comfortable B & B at Nidderdale Lodge Farm, stopping off
for a very welcome and hugely enjoyed cuppa, home made cake and ice
cream in a very friendly café at Gargrave. The weather was not too unkind
and the run enjoyed.
Grins at Gargrave
Page 26
Mr. Nelson kindly acted as taxi driver and conveyed us to the local
hostelry, The Half Moon, for our evening meals and duly collected us
afterwards.
On Saturday morning, we were joined by two of Curley’s Norton Owners
Club associates on very immaculate (though not for long) Commando’s.
The roundabout route wound it’s way through some narrow little roads full
of all sorts of animal droppings and other debris as the weather worsened,
Job eventually taking an incorrect turning as we came to the A1 at
Wetherby, the two visitors soon realised and guided us to the well known
bikers stopping place of Squires Café where refreshments were taken
before we set off (without them) to get back en route for a visit to
Elvington Air Museum, south of York, where a superb collection of Aircraft
spanning the history of flight are on display. Particularly interesting was a
Vulcan bomber similar to the one Curley used to fly.
An unexpected “attraction” was literally dozens of teams of Morris
Dancers, performing their ancient ritual dances, prancing around in strange
costumes with little bells strapped to their legs waving handkerchiefs etc. at
Half cut at the Half Moon
Page 27
Embsay - back to the 1940’s
each other and in the writers opinion, making fools of themselves, but each
to their own I suppose. (Never judge a bird by it's feathers, Brian! Ed.) The
line up of our bikes in front of a Hangar caused quite an attraction.
Job managed to lead the way back to our B & B without any major
drama’s, though with our detour we managed about 145 riding
miles.Evening dining was again at the Half Moon where the food was
superb with ample proportions at a very reasonable price.
On Sunday, with some reasonable looking weather for the run, a short ride
to Embsay station was made. With Curley volunteering to stand guard over
the bikes, the remainder of the party, complete with another couple of
Curley’s NOC contacts, boarded the steam train to Bolton Abbey station. It
was teeming with people dressed up in all kinds of world war two military
gear, re enacting a 1940's wartime busy period that it is doubted the station
ever saw in reality. It was however a great atmosphere and we tried to play
our part, though biking gear and especially Brian’s bright “camo”
Page 28
waterproof trousers, were a little out of place. We caught the next train
back and rejoined Curley for our day’s ride, again ably led by Job, chasing
“Pendle Witches”. A full day of riding on some very minor and often
slippery roads, with some approx. 150 miles ridden and a few sore
backsides. Soon put right by a visit to the Half Moon and an early night.
Monday dawned ominously and with very high and blustery winds. Job
again led the way finding some rough roads and even rougher weather,
however the brave six plodded on and we made our way on some diverse
route up to the Tan Hill Pub, (Britains highest) where some warmth and
comfort gave a brief respite.
Setting off on the way back, the wind was even more fierce and the rain
tried to cut us in two but bravely Job stuck to his meandering route and led
a very wet group of riders back to the farm and some warmth (and dry
clothes).Then another enjoyable trip to the Half Moon, where Len DIDN’T
eat his staple diet, Fish and Chips, for his meal!
War time - Time warp
Page 29
Though raining hard whilst breakfasting on Tuesday morning, the weather
outlook was better. Roger decided he would depart a little early and make
his way to see his in-laws on the way back to Heysham. Job led the group
so far and he then left us and went on to stay with relatives for a few days.
Curley took over as pilot and after a coffee stop in Gargrave, we enjoyed a
very pleasant bend swinging ride most of the way back to the boat. The
return crossing was somewhat rough and Tony & Brian, the poor sailors of
the party, took refuge in a cabin to help endure the storm.
Altogether a total of just short of 500 miles was ridden, over half in harsh
conditions and the filthiest state I have ever seen our bikes. But it was still
most enjoyable, roll on another trip!
Brian Ward
Job and Tony - SETTLE for an ice cream
Page 30
Trials Fixture List January 2011 - December 2011
Page 31
Eric McPherson
I first met Eric
McPherson in 1948
when he came to
convalesce with
neighbours living near
my family. He had
been unfortunate to
come off his 7R AJS
at Governors Bridge
during the first
meeting of TT
practices due to oil on
the road. Though he
had walked back to
the Grandstand he was
later taken to Nobles
Hospital where it was
Eric at Glendhoo lane on his 7R AJS
discovered he had a
fracture of the pelvis and bruising to his lower back. This was sufficient to
keep him out of the 1948 TT.
Eric McPherson had been nominated by the ACC of Australia to compete
in the TT and given a grant which paid for his 13,000 mile boat passage
and a living allowance. His friend Harry Hinton had also been nominated
but was unable to secure a bike from Norton.
After the TT and feeling up to racing again though still sore he competed at
Scarborough and brought back home with him to Australia his one and
only replica. His boat journey home had been delayed which gave him time
to compete in the Ulster Grand Prix. The weather was atrocious and Eric
crashed after being well up with the leaders. Both he and his 7R returned
home rather worse for wear!
Eric was then 37 years old, had been married to Ruby for 10 years. Lived
and worked in Sydney. Had taken part over the years in speedway, dirt
Page 32
track and road racing and never travelled further than the next county so it
was a wonderful experience for him even if the end results were
disappointing. Meanwhile in 1949 the family Eric had stayed with. Ned
Faragher and widower who'd been in the 1914 – 1918 war and his younger
daughter Betty were seriously considering emigrating to Australia.
However with the expected arrival in May of Eric McPherson to stay again
this time accompanied by his wife Ruby, plans were put on hold.
Once again Eric had been nominated by the ACCA along with Harry
Hinton for the TT. George Morrison from Ballarat decided to join them and
went along as a privateer. All three riders were satisfied with their TT
results. They were as follows:E. McPherson
H. Hinton
G. Morrison
Junior 11th AJS
15th Norton
27th Norton
Senior 14th AJS.
9th Norton.
31st Norton.
They left for Assen and Belgium then back for the Ulster before sailing for
home.
In May 1950 Eric and Ruby McPherson were back on the Island. It was
Eric's last TT, he was approaching 40 and felt it was time he retired and
gave younger riders a chance. As usual they stayed with their friends near
Hillberry Corner. The Australian trio McPherson, Hinton and Morrison
obtained TT replicas. Eric was 14th in the Senior on his AJS, Hinton
finished 10th in both Junior and Senior and George Morrison much to his
delight was 11th in the Senior TT.
After the TT we bid a sad farewell to our Australian friends – we didn't
know if or when we would meet again but promised to keep in touch which
we did for many years.
In a few weeks we would also be saying goodbye to the friends Eric and
Ruby had stayed with. Their emigration passage to Australia had been
confirmed. The red brick house would be let for two years in case either the
father or daughter wished to return.
Page 33
The previous owner
had built the house
in place of a small
dark dank farm
cottage. It is
interesting to note
that one of he last
occupants of the
cottage was a family
named Brew. Their
son Ned aged 22
years had entered a
31/2 hp Frera
(Italian bike) in the
1923 Isle of Man
Amateur TT race.
Sadly he was killed
during a morning
practice at the top of
Glendhoo by-road,
a small lane leading
to the farm and
cottage where he
Harry Hinton, Eric McPherson & George Morrison - 1949 TT
lived. His Frera had
got into a speed wobble causing him to crash and he later died from his
injuries. Ned left behind his grieving parents, an older brother and sister
and younger sister Gertrude.
His late brother George had been killed in France during the 1914 - 18 war.
Arriving in Australia our friends from Hillberry settled quickly into their
new environment. The father moved to the State of Victoria and found
work there. He joined the local Salvation Army, met and married an
Australian fellow member and they became parents of a large family. (the
Australian climate obviously agreed with him !) His daughter eventually
married a Yorkshire man she had previously known in England and
remained in Sydney.
Page 34
Meanwhile Eric McPherson had returned to his position with a Sydney
Motorcycle firm and though not participating in racing had moved to the
administration side. He became president of the Motor Cycle Racing Club
of N.S.W. And promoted many future young Australian riders such as Ken
Kavanagh, Jack Ahearn, Maurice Quincy, Keith Campbell and others. Ken
Kavanagh was the first ever Australian to win a Junior TT.
Looking through the chaos of what I dare to call my files I see that Ruby
and Eric returned to the Isle of Man for the TT in June 1977 – 27 years
after their last visit. Having no family they had mortgaged their home to
have one final trip. It was great to see them again. Eric was then almost 67
and Ruby slightly younger though neither looked their age. They were still
interested in the racing scene, meeting old friends and making new ones.
Several years later after the death of Ruby his much loved wife, Eric
moved to a retirement home in Sydney. He died there some years later in
1997, he was 86 years old – a trailblazer and inspiration for following
Australian riders.
Dorothy Greenwood
Page 35
By lap two there was only Ted Wallace in front. Ted, I knew from
experience, was a rapid performer and his Bonneville was a good and well
tuned model - couldn’t have been better for the purposes of the comparison
exercise. Just the sort of target to prove the whole point of the exercise in
fact…….
Out round the back of the track once more to the notorious Horizon Bend
and the well tucked away exhaust pipes start to graze the tarmac. This led
me to adopt the ‘get off it’ style to try and minimise the pipes grounding.
The bike was still stable with me hanging of it and allowed the three,
howling through the Rayguns, to make a lot of time and close right up, for
a tow up the hill past the hanger. I thought to pull out of the slipstream and
away, but no! The Triumphs, 650 twin (albeit with ten years' development
behind it) and 750 three, were just about matched for top speed. Now that
Ray Knight pulls air on Bray Hill during the 1971 Production TT - He finished 11th
Page 36
Hugh Evans (right) starts on the Hughes Triumph in the 1974 Formula 750
was somewhat enlightening and proved the point of the whole exercise.
Now it was a case of staying behind to see what opportunity the next corner
brought. This is a tightening right hander into a chicane, so If you make a
hash of your braking, you are in dead trouble. Ted and I hammered into the
section at about 120 mph and the Trident went by into the lead for the acid
test of the brakes. Bang 'me on and the anchor that makes a good job of
stopping the 650 only just about coped with the rather late-late braking job
required for this particular occasion. There were three Triumph cylinders in
the lead for the first time on a mainland circuit In the UK. I even had time
to reflect that I was probably making a tiny piece of motorcycling history.
But Ted did not give up so easily. Through the three sharp, slow bends in
quick succession again and clearly the Bonneville was slightly easier to
flick from side to side. Perhaps because I was more aware of the weight
than really necessary, I was not quite as quick as I might have been, and
Ted made a bid to snatch back the lead. However, maybe I wasn’t as slow
as I’d thought as Ted found the limit of adhesion and slid, not too
gracefully, just behind the Trident's rear wheel, on his ear. Exit the main
threat.
Page 37
Now, with a clear lead, it was possible to be a little more scientific in
evaluating the performance. There seemed to be no limit to the angle at
which it could be laid over. That is, until the pipes touched and you'd not
credit how far they are tucked in, and I wasn't yet used to the bike. Through
the high speed swervery one could pick it up from one exhaust pipe and
without too much effort put it on the other one. In fact, It must have been as
fast in some corners as my much lighter Daytona, my normal mode of race
transport.
The Trident’s motor was a real revver, though there was little point in
hanging on above about 7800 rpm because engaging the next gear brought
it right into the motor's best power range, anywhere from 5000 upwards. It
performs just like a Daytona with another cylinder added, which is virtually
what it is. I was lucky enough therefore to take the ‘linen’ first, It was a
first win for a Trident in this country, proclaimed MCN at the time
I reasoned that it ought to be possible to get the T150 off the line a bit
quicker, and once more I was drawn further from the front row than the
back. Once more she fired first dig. Dialling up bags of revs again, this
time I fed the clutch in more gradually. Round went the rev counter needle
Martin Carney on his way to 7th Place as the First ever Trident to Race
in the IOM - Production TT 1969
Page 38
The Hughes Trident is now owned by John South. SEE LOT 197 - NEXT VM
but, as before, the field drew smartly away in front - and the needle stayed
up around the eight thousand mark until I twigged that we'd got loads more
clutch slip. I'd been over-anxious- and "cooked" it.
I fiddled with the lever adjuster and slackened off the cable to give some
slack and having ‘boiled’ the clutch I had to do a lap at modest speed
before grip returned to normal. Dodging through back markers my thoughts
were that this time I’d made it difficult for myself, only seven laps to go
and the leaders were way out ahead. With the whip out to the max it
nevertheless looked like a tall mountain to climb in the remaining laps.
It really did steer. I doubt that a model has ever been quite so good right
from the word "go" except the Thruxton Bonnie. With only the mods listed
it went round the outside of 250s that were going as fast as they chose
around some corners. The same went for a group of the faster 650s and a
750 that were already dicing as ‘we’ went sailing round the outside with
complete confidence.
Page 39
After about four laps, the view in front was again unsullied by any
competition. A second win that day was great. But was what even better,
the exercise had proved the point; a standard Trident was about as fast as
a decent, well sorted Bonneville.
The road holding was particularly good; for a 478 lb machine it is little
short of exceptional. Brakes were good for a few laps but there was no
doubt that fade would rear it’s head if really pushed. Indeed it wasn’t long
before the factory listed a 220mm Fontana double sided Tls brake to do the
job. The standard brake was fitted with AM4 racing linings.
So what detail had been done? One item that had received attention from
the standard arrangement was the ground clearance department. Rearsets
were fitted and the pipes and silencers tucked right in, and not only did I
succeed in touching them, but also grazed the crankcase in places. It's
reasonable to assume that while this aspect would be found lacking with a
real hard rider aboard, it could soon be dealt with by the factory.
As for the power unit, ‘what need one say’, I said at the time. It gives a
feeling of being unburstable. That it completed the 500 Miler and the TT
with minimal maintenance proved the point. Come to think of it, even
though that clutch had obviously done a lot of work before I tried buzzing
the bike off the line, that is something that received attention when the
factory went racing, by fitting race linings.
So what had been done to the T150 to prepare it for racing? Rearsets as per
Bonneville were fitted, together with a humped racing seat, very useful in
the loM. Exhaust pipes and silencers were well tucked in and longer fork
springs were fitted to lift the front up a little and to provide a little more
ground clearance. As already mentioned, attention to the front brake was
confined to fitting racing linings, though an air scoop helped cool it. The
wheels were shod, back and front, with Dunlop K81 high performance
tyres.
Swearing over a pile of Triumph maintenance manuals that the cylinder
head had never been off the Trident, Stan Brand of Hughes Motorcycles
said that only routine maintenance had been carried out on the bike
between the "500", the TT and my two short dashes around Thruxton. This
amounted to a new rear chain and a tyre after TT practice, while the only
Page 40
engine attention had been resetting one of the contact-breaker points by
two "thou". Oh, well; that's another bike I'll have in the garage when Ernie
comes up, I reflected. Indeed I did break the bank and bought a factory
road test model. And I was very glad I did too.
Pics Amulree
Ray Knight
Courtesy of Morton’s Media - First printed in Motorcyclist Illustrated
Page 41
So fabulously successful was ERIC OLIVER
as a sidecar driver that one could be forgiven
for overlooking the fact that he was also
almost unbeatable as a solo rider on South
Eastern grass circuits and was placed as high
as eighth in 11 solo rides in the T.T. Races.
Sidecar World Champion for the years 1949,
1950 (despite a broken ankle), 1951 and
1953, he achieved most of his major successes with Norton-Watsonian outfits and with a
different passenger almost every year. Retired in 1955 to run a motorcycle business at
Staines.
Pic: Amulree
Eric pilots the Norton Dominator / Watsonian outfit during the 1958 Sidecar TT,
while passenger Pat Wise watches her sweet paper waft away!
Page 42
The Ariel VB2 1200cc Twin
A rare photograph of the roadgoing version of the Ariel VB2 1200 cc Twin.
It is one of several constructed by the LNM Partnership using CNC cloning
techniques to produce the second engine. The motors were linked by chain
to give a 90 degree firing interval, which together with the exhaust
specially developed by boffins at Queens University Belfast, produced an
unusual Blappety- blap exhaust note.
A couple of them were sprinted with some success, a blown version
appearing at Brighton. The diminutive female rider May Lisnik although
not the fastest, managed a spectacular, crowd pleasing, 200yd wheelie. She
was reported in the local press to have said later. “Next time I'll put the
alcohol in the tank!”
Job Grimshaw
Page 43
Page 44
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