Classic Bike March 2019

WELCOME MARCH 2019 ISSUE 470 TRIUMPHS OVER ADVERSITY GARY PINCHIN, EDITOR gary.pinchin@bauermedia.co.uk The first thing Ian Johnston showed us when we walked into his workshop was the lump of Triumph crankcase he cut off the front of a set of scrap crankcases to shoehorn the motor into an A65 frame. Purists might well be aghast at such butchery – but if you look at Ian’s TriBSA, it looks so perfect, it could have just rolled out of Meriden. Incredibly, a lot of the parts Ian re-engineering to create his masterpiece had been destined for the scrap bin. This issue is a lot about Triumph over adversity. It’s hard to imagine a 12-year-old being allowed to compete head-to-head with adults in any form of motorsport competition these days. But back in…

The first thing Ian Johnston showed us when we walked into his workshop was the lump of Triumph crankcase he cut off the front of a set of scrap crankcases to shoehorn the motor into an A65 frame. Purists might well be aghast at such butchery – but if you look at Ian’s TriBSA, it looks so perfect, it could have just rolled out of Meriden. Incredibly, a lot of the parts Ian re-engineering to create his masterpiece had been destined for the scrap bin. This issue is a lot about Triumph over adversity. It’s hard to imagine a 12-year-old being allowed to compete head-to-head with adults in any form of motorsport competition these days. But back in the 1950s, a kid called Bobby Sirkegian managed to persuade his old man…

Those two-stroke mopeds that Demm churned out in the 1960s and ’70s with names like Dik Dik and Smily might not have been the sexiest things on two wheels, but there was a time when the Milan factory produced some beautifully designed motorcycles. We’re talking about machines like the 1955 Turismo, an overhead-cam 175cc single that was a match for anything made by Ducati or Benelli. The cam was driven by a shaft and bevel gears that ran up the right side of the engine, hidden inside the deep alloy fins of the cylinder. Primary drive was by helical gear, and with almost square dimensions of 60 x 61mm the Formula 3 sports version delivered a respectable 10.5bhp. Even their humble two-strokes put Demm on the map – in November 1956 a…

Twin-cam flying fifty Any 50cc motorcycle with a dohc engine and a 12 speed gearbox has got to make you sit up and take notice. Say hello to the Demm Competizione WORDS AND PHOTOGRAPHY: PHILLIP TOOTH Those two-stroke mopeds that Demm churned out in the 1960s and ’70s with names like Dik Dik and Smily might not have been the sexiest things on two wheels, but there was a time when the Milan factory produced some beautifully designed motorcycles. We’re talking about machines like the 1955 Turismo, an overhead-cam 175cc single that was a match for anything made by Ducati or Benelli. The cam was driven by a shaft and bevel gears that ran up the right side of the engine, hidden inside the deep alloy fins of the cylinder.…

German Moto Guzzi enthusiast Alfred Schmaus built this unique V8 special using a 2472cc, 105bhp air-cooled, overhead-valve engine from a Tatra 603 limousine. The engine, which features a lightweight aluminium block, was originally rear-mounted in the Czech-built car, but Schmaus has transplanted it into a much-modified 1967 Guzzi rolling chassis. The hand-built cars were intended exclusively for senior members of the Communist party – and rather than continually build new models each year, each car was shipped back to the factory for periodic upgrades. Just over 20,422 of them were built. “I bought the engine on eBay,” said Alfred. “Unfortunately they are becoming increasingly rare and very expensive.” Alfred stripped the engine, checked it for wear and then replaced any damaged parts – then the real work started. “I had to make extensive changes…

Different take on Guzzi V8 Moto Guzzi famously built a V8 racer in the 1950s, but this Guzzi-based special is a more recent interpretation on the theme – powered by an engine that escaped from a former Eastern Bloc limousine WORDS: GARY PINCHIN. PHOTOGRAPHY: GARY MARGERUM German Moto Guzzi enthusiast Alfred Schmaus built this unique V8 special using a 2472cc, 105bhp air-cooled, overhead-valve engine from a Tatra 603 limousine. The engine, which features a lightweight aluminium block, was originally rear-mounted in the Czech-built car, but Schmaus has transplanted it into a much-modified 1967 Guzzi rolling chassis. The hand-built cars were intended exclusively for senior members of the Communist party – and rather than continually build new models each year, each car was shipped back to the factory for periodic upgrades.…