Classic Bike October 2022

OCTOBER 2022 ISSUE #513 This year marks 60 years since the twin-cylinder BSA A65 with its ‘power egg’ unit-construction engine was launched – the year after the Bimingham Small Arms Company had celebrated its centennial, having been launched intially as a gun manufacturer in June 1861. Good reason to give this issue a bit of an A65 theme, then... But there’s more. It’s also 50 years since BSA became defunct as a motorcycle manufacturer in 1972, with Triumph-BSA being taken over by Norton Villiers a year later in a Government-led initiative which finally killed the BSA brand. In the decade between the launch of the A65 and the demise of BSA, the A65 morphed from a traditional Brit twin into the oil-in-frame model that was derided by some, loved by…

Back in 2014, the Haynes International Motor Museum in Sparkford was given a massive £5 million facelift. It featured 400 motor vehicles, including a large motorcycle section whose jewel in the crown was the Forshaw Speedway Collection – one of the most impressive displays of speedway motorcycles in the world, beautifully exhibited on a wooden boarded section. The collection, which has actually been part of the Haynes Museum for 25 years, effectively charted the 60-plus year history of the sport – from an early leg-trailing-style Douglas that raced on cinders in the 1920s to a modern ‘laydown’ Jawa. That collection of 31 bikes is now going under the hammer and will be the centrepiece of the Bonhams Autumn Stafford Sale on October 15-16. The speedway bikes, spares and associated race…

T he British Bike Bonanza is for ‘classic British bikes that you could buy over the counter only, and no exceptions’. Organiser Adrian Moss has strictly enforced this authenticity since its first running in 1982 – but this 40th anniversary event was his last one at the helm. He says: “The Bonanza is based on the Cotswold Scramble of the 1950s and ’60s, which was held in the valleys around this area,” with the current venue Tarleton near Cirencester in Gloucestershire. Adrian’s single-minded vision for the Bonanza means entries are not as large as for other classic events. But the quality of the machines and the fact that it takes place on a wide and undulating grassy track that’s well suited to the age of the bikes makes this an…

This bike was built to celebrate 50 years since I last built a Triton back in 1969-70. I bought it as a basket case in February 2019 – at which time I was a septuagenarian who had only got back into riding motorbikes the previous year, after a gap of 45 years. In late 2018 I had bought a 1968 Triumph T100C and took it to the 2019 Classic TT. Then thoughts of building another Triton took hold… The project proved very expensive, confirming the risks associated with basket case projects. But it kept me entertained during the Covid lockdowns – and the satisfaction of reacquainting myself with engineering skills from my youth and overcoming so many challenges outweighed the downsides. At first glance, all the key (and expensive) parts…

I’ve recently been revisiting my 25 years’ worth of CB back issues – including your excellent Triumph feature from 2006, which ended with the statement that Triumph had intended to develop an Isolastic-type engine mount but never did. Well, I know different – and I feel that this last small chapter in Triumph’s history would be lost if I didn’t do anything about it. I was a police motorcyclist on Merseyside in the ’70s and ’80s – and in the early ’80s I test rode a new version of Triumph’s 750cc Bonneville that had been developed by their R&D dept with a view to re-entering the police bike market. Triumph had developed a rubber-mounted engine, similar to Norton’s, which eliminated their main issue – vibration causing radio failure and rider…

October 1-2 Classic Racing Motorcycle Club, Croft Circuit, North Yorkshire This is the finale of the CRMC's season, so the racing will be fast and frantic, with everything from Manx Nortons to post-classic superbikes and sidecar outfits doing battle. Former TT ace Alex George is guest of honour, there'll be a special Grand Prix and historic race bike display and the VJMC is once again hosting the Classic Bike Show Village, with club and trade displays to enjoy. A fine way to end the season. crmc.co.uk October 2 Race Day, Shuttleworth, Old Warden Aerodrome, Biggleswade, Bedfordshire, Wings and wheels mix happily at Old Warden. The flying displays are fascinating, but it's the vintage and classic cars and bikes being thrashed down the runway that will be of most interest to…