Classic Bike February 2020

Welcome KILLER CHARACTER IMAGE COUrTESY OF LAUGHING GNOME I quickly realised when I got into bikes that it wasn’t just about the motorcycles themselves that I liked, but the characters it seemed to attract. But while racing in that era seemed to generate characters at will (more’s the pity that’s not the case these days), it seemed to be that you only had to park your bike up to meet interesting folks with a motorcycles. I guess it’s why Paul Sample’s Ogri always seemed to strike a chord. In our local area we had our own Ogri. He was known as ‘Killer’. His surname was Escott; I’ve still no idea of his first name, but he was an archetypal biker of the era. He could have been Ogri’s brother. Killer…

I quickly realised when I got into bikes that it wasn’t just about the motorcycles themselves that I liked, but the characters it seemed to attract. But while racing in that era seemed to generate characters at will (more’s the pity that’s not the case these days), it seemed to be that you only had to park your bike up to meet interesting folks with a motorcycles. I guess it’s why Paul Sample’s Ogri always seemed to strike a chord. In our local area we had our own Ogri. He was known as ‘Killer’. His surname was Escott; I’ve still no idea of his first name, but he was an archetypal biker of the era. He could have been Ogri’s brother. Killer was from out of town, but occasionally showed up on…

WE’VE SEEN PLENTY of concours Vincent twins go under the hammer at Bonhams sales over the years – and plenty of restoration projects, too. We’ve also seen a few race bikes and record breakers go up for sale in everything from ‘as raced’ to immaculate condition. But this heavily-modified 1947 Rapide being offered for sale at the actioneers’ Las Vegas sale on January 23 has to be one of the most unusual. It also has to be one of the most successful, with five national pro-class hillclimb championships – in two different countries – to its credit. Given the exalted status Vincent twins command now – and consequently sky-high prices –it’s hard to believe that this particular example of the marque was bought by hillclimber Glen Kyle for just $50 back…

BONHAMS LAS VEGAS SALE JAN 23 King of the hill This hard-hitting hillclimb special, on offer at Bonhams’ Las Vegas sale, must be one of the most extraordinary Vincent twins anywhere WORDS: GEZ KANE PHOTOGRAPHY: BONHAMS WE’VE SEEN PLENTY of concours Vincent twins go under the hammer at Bonhams sales over the years – and plenty of restoration projects, too. We’ve also seen a few race bikes and record breakers go up for sale in everything from ‘as raced’ to immaculate condition. But this heavily-modified 1947 Rapide being offered for sale at the actioneers’ Las Vegas sale on January 23 has to be one of the most unusual. It also has to be one of the most successful, with five national pro-class hillclimb championships – in two different countries –…

OCTOGENERIAN PETE GRIFFITH is proof that people don’t stop pursuing dreams because they grow old, they grow old because they stop pursuing dreams. Pete, 82 this year, stays youthful by racing – and he can’t wait to get cracking on another classic motocross season racing his 1954 250 Maico. This German stroker is surely the world’s oldest Maico currently in active competition. And Pete is the oldest competitor in the Pre-65 MX Club – and possibly on the whole current classic MX scene in the UK. ‘Griff’ first raced off-road 65 years ago, in the year his Maico was built, and has missed only three seasons since then – due to national service and getting married. Ten years ago, he decided his 500cc BSA Gold Star was becoming too heavy to handle for…

FOR MANY OF us, the antics of cartoon character Ogri and his daft mate Malcolm were essential reading in the early days of Bike magazine – and now it’s possible to relive some of the great Ogri moments thanks to this new book Ogri – Everybody’s Favourite. It features 150 cartoon strips and is published by Laughing Gnome. Ogri was created by artist Paul Sample. He is best known in the book trade as the cover illustrator of Tom Sharpe’s Wilt novels, but bikers identify with the amazing body of Ogri cartoon strips that ran from 1972 until 2013 – first as a regular in Bike magazine, then in custom bike mag Back Street Heroes and even enjoying a short stint in the motoring section of the Telegraph. Paul Sample said: “Ogri…