bmct news - issue 29 - january 2015
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N E W S L E T T E R O F T H E B R I T I S H
M O T O R C Y C L E C H A R I T A B L E T R U S T
BMCT News
Winter Issue 29
In This Issue:
News From Museums
Classic Motorbike Show
Motorcycle Live
Kop Hill Climb
Stafford Show
Members’ Page
Events Guide
T hey’ve been very busy
down at the Sammy
Miller Museum over the
winter. Visitors are now
greeted by this impressive
new entrance, designed to
enhance your experience and
give valuable extra space to
accommodate Sammy’s ever
growing collection. New to the
museum this year are a DOT
three-wheeler and a 1925
Brough Superior. For the
winter months the museum
opens at weekends only.
O pening hours of the Haynes
International Motor Museum
have changed. From 2nd March to
31st October the museum will be
open from 9.30 am until 5.30 pm,
and in the winter they’ll be closing
an hour earlier. A new leaflet from
them (left) gives you a good idea of
the new layout following the
massive revamp of the museum
that’s taken place over the last
couple of years. The Motorcycle
Mezzanine is the area in white to
the right on the diagram,
numbered 1. Machines of
particular interest there are the
BMCT’s Brough Superior and New
Hudson sidecar outfits.
N e w s F r o m T h e M u s e u m s
P a g e 2 B M C T N e w s
T he National Motorcycle Museum celebrated its
30th Anniversary with an open weekend on
1st-2nd of November. The milestone event saw
thousands of visitors join the museum in marking
its heritage and successes since first opening its
doors in October 1984. Attendees were treated to
a range of free attractions and family-friendly
activities; featuring free Museum entry, indoor trade
displays, autojumble, wheelie machine and even
the chance to “try a bike” in a controlled off road
area. Museum Director James Hewing said “We are
very proud to be celebrating our 30th anniversary.
Museum Live was a fantastic way for us to say
thank you to the public for their support over the
years and we are pleased to have been able to
celebrate our achievements with everyone. We’re
looking forward to the next 30 years!”
Front cover photo. A Mk1 Brough Superior owned by a BMCT member.
N E C C l a s s i c M o t o r b i k e S h o w
P a g e 3 I s s u e 2 9
H ere are some pictures to give
those who couldn’t get there
the flavour of November’s Classic
Motorbike Show at the National
Exhibition Centre near Birmingham.
The motorcycle hall is just a small
part of the huge Classic Motor Show,
which this year was bigger than ever,
covering ten halls. Clockwise from
top right: 1) John Kidson with an old
friend, John (Mooneyes) Cooper,
admiring the Cotton Telstar on the
BMCT stand. 2) Our Triumph Bandit
attracted a lot of attention, as usual.
3 ) T h e M i d l a n d s S e c t i o n
represented the Vintage Motor Cycle
Club this year, and put on a very
good display of machines of various
eras from all over the world. This
1954 Norton International has been
beautifully restored by one of their
members after buying it off eBay as
a basket case three years ago. 4)
Our Baughan two-wheel-drive
sidecar outfit with 500cc of
Blackburne power. 5) A BSA Bantam
-based “Shoestring Racer”, built
many years ago by George Todd and
still in use today. 6) The odd bike
cropped up among the classic cars
for sale hall. This well presented
Ariel Square Four was one example.
7) Another star of the VMCC stand
was this Panther. 8) There were one
or two Scotts dotted about the hall,
and this was the nicest of them. 9)
Our Lea-Francis v-twin was having a
holiday from its usual home, at
Coventry Transport Museum. 10)
BMCT member Richard Duffin is
always turning up rare motorcycles
with interesting histories. This 1928
350cc Blackburne-engined Rex
Acme counts among its previous
owners Lt. Col. John “Mad Jack”
Churchill and actor Ewan McGregor.
11) In 1937 Walter Handley won a
Brooklands Gold Star on a specially
prepared 500cc BSA. Unsurprisingly,
the following year BSA introduced
the Gold Star in its model line-up,
and this is one of the first examples.
12) Our new display unit was used
for the first time, and drew much
favourable comment from show
visitors.
1
2
3
4
5 6
7
8
9
10
11
12
ridden on beaded edge tyres but have
heard all of those tales (from old wives or
otherwise) of their propensity to fly off the
rims if they are not pumped up to
stratospheric pressures I viewed them
with some concern I got out the bathroom
scales to weigh the bike + me
combination and ended up with pressures
of 30 psi front and 35 psi rear. Higher
than Radco's recommendations but much
much lower than the 45-65 psi brigade. I
also unwound the screwed rings on the
valves until they touched the valve caps
so that I could see if the tyres were
creeping on the rims and checked these
each time I ran the bike – they didn't
move. To my way of thinking the greater
concern is what happens when a tyre
does deflate when all accounts suggest
that it certainly will then come off the rim.
Surely fitting security bolts would be a
good idea?
When collected, the level in the oil tank
(which is a compartment in the right hand
side of the 'petrol' tank) was very low and
on starting the bike it was obvious why –
most of the oil was in the crankcase!
Thick oil smoke poured from the exhausts
and dripped from the front exhaust port,
although surprisingly the spark plugs did
not oil up. As it showed no signs of
clearing I stopped the engine and
removed the crankcase drain plug when
approximately 2 pints came out. Re-
starting after priming the engine with the
foot-operated auxiliary oil pump and the
THANKS TO OUR TRUSTEE NICK FOR
THIS ACCOUNT OF RIDING THE VMCC’s
BLANCHARD BROUGH AT KOP HILL
20/21 SEPTEMBER 2014
What a privilege! To be entrusted with
the VMCC 'Blanchard Brough' to
showcase at the popular two-day Kop
Hill hill climb car/bike charity event just
o u t s i d e P r i n c e s R i s b o r o u g h ,
Buckinghamshire in September. For
those who don't know the origin of the
bike, it was gifted to the Vintage Motor
Cycle Club in the will of long-standing
member David Blanchard. Well, not
quite in the condition I picked it up
from affable VMCC President Tim Penn
– it was acquired as a basket case of
assorted parts. It was then subject to a
complete, but sympathetic, rebuild by
ace Brough Superior craftsman Dave
Clark who gave a detailed account of
the rebuild in the Club Journal. It's a
1922 SS80 model – one of the earliest
SS80s known to exist – fitted with that
wonderful vee-twin JAP 980cc KTC
sidevalve engine attributed to JAP/
Ariel/Triumph/BSA designer Val Page,
a Sturmey-Archer 3-speed hand-change
gearbox and unusual leaf-sprung
Montgomery front forks. Completing
the ensemble are a drum front brake
that would look better on a pedal cycle
(5” Webb) and a dummy belt rim rear
brake operated by an awkwardly-
placed heel pedal. 80 mph engine, 20
mph brakes was my initial impression
– so I had better be careful riding it .
On getting the bike home, thanks to
transport provided by Chiltern Section
member Chris Hurworth, we spent
some time checking it over, lubricating
va r ious jo in ts and genera l l y
acquainting ourselves with it. Being
fortunate enough to own a later Brough
Superior fitted with the same engine, a
little attention was given to it as it
appeared that the tappet clearances
had not been checked for some time.
Then we got to the beaded edge tyres.
For those like me who have never
exhaust was clear. I learned the
lesson from consideration of the
'total loss' oiling system which I
understand works as follows.
Two Best and Lloyd adjustable
metering devices are fitted that drip
oil into the engine and are fitted with
sight glasses so the rider can
(somewhat optimistically) try to
observe the motion of oil dripping
through them and 'count the drops'.
One is mounted on the tank top and
is connected via a spring-loaded
plunger pump to a foot pedal that
gives a boost into the engine when
the rider thinks it needs some
tribological help or to get some oil
into the engine after draining the
crankcase. The other is the normal
running feed from a tank-side oiler
where engine vacuum from the rear
of the front cylinder pulls oil through
a one-way valve. Unfortunately oil
also seeps through when the engine
is not running. So the lesson is to
close the needle valve of the tank-
side oiler each time the engine is
stopped – remembering to turn it on
again on starting!
With these preliminaries out of the
way, a trial ride was in order. Yes, my
assumption regarding braking
performance was correct. You need
to be very circumspect and not place
any reliance on other road users
giving good notice of their intentions.
P a g e 4 B M C T N e w s
N i c k J e f f e r y a t t h e K o p
The VMCC’s SS80 with Dave Clark’s 1922 Brough Model W
all bought-in. Is it a heretical question to
ask who was the true 'superior' engineer?
Individual runs 'up the hill' started before
10 am and I was one of the first bikes up,
following older cars and bikes. The hill is a
normal public road, closed to other users
for the event, and participants are
encouraged to put on a 'good show' leaving
the line but discouraged from letting their
enthusiasm run away with them near the
top. Runs are not timed. Getting off the line
smartly, two quick gearchanges and the
bike pulled like a train up the hill in top,
although I was a little cautious as the
surface was wet and there was visible oil
dropped by the early runners. Stopping for
the T-junction at the top of the hill held no
terrors as I had long-before shut off the
lever throttle - but which way to turn to get
back to the paddock? Turning right was a
longer scenic route avoiding a steep,
twisting drop which I didn't fancy in the wet.
So I turned right and made my way gently
back to the paddock. By now spectators
were building up and the Blanchard SS80
and Dave's Model W together attracted a
lot of attention – even more so when I
regaled them with the fact that the bike
was not mine but had been generously
loaned to me by the VMCC!
Given the large number of entrants (over
300 cars and 100 bikes) only one more
run was possible during the day but, as it
was dry by now, on my second run I
turned left at the top of the hill and
dropped down back to Princes
Risborough, prudently descending most
of the way in bottom gear. Even though
running on the hill was limited, being in
the paddock did at least give ample
opportunity to talk to the enthusiastic
spectators and the many VMCC members
who attend the event. Apart from various
later Brough Superior SS80s and Tony
Eaton's rorty SS100 participating, there
was also the rare sight of no less than 4
Brough Superior cars making an
appearance over the weekend.
A check over of the bike on Saturday
night revealed no problems and Sunday
was a pleasanter day with the sun even
making an appearance and drawing in
much larger crowds. Again two runs up
the hill were all that could be fitted in but
on the last run the bike was going so well
it caught up the preceding bike and I was
gently slowed by the marshals on the hill!
Dave and I had many interesting
conversations with spectators, explaining
the history of the bikes and what all the
strange knobs and levers did. Then a
short ride home and final check over
preparatory to returning the bike to Allen
House.
My grateful thanks to the VMCC for the
loan of the bike and particularly Ian
Botham, Chris Illman, Tim Penn, Chris
Hurworth and any 'persons unknown' for
making it happen. I hope I did both the
bike and the Club justice in taking it to
such a popular event. I certainly learned
a lot about the joys and responsibilities of
being entrusted with such a wonderful
historic motorcycle.
Nick’s article first appeared in the
November 2014 issue of the VMCC
Members’ Journal
P a g e 5 I s s u e 2 9
But what a superb engine – easy-starting,
pulling lustily from low revs, totally fuss-
free and linked to a progressive clutch
and nice gearchange. The Montgomery
forks give a reasonable ride, the riding
position and saddle are comfortable and I
found the lever throttle easy to use. I'm
going to enjoy riding this bike! I had set
the oiler to the setting recommended by
Tim Penn and this gave the recommend-
ed slight puff of oil smoke in the exhaust
when blipping the throttle. Back home, a
wash-down of bike and once-over of nuts
and bolts and then ready for the
weekend.
Saturday dawned …. horrible! I rode to
the Kop Hill paddock, only a few miles
from home, in the rain and signed on
leaving my finest giant bird seed plastic
bag over the leather saddle to prevent it
becoming sodden. The organisers
arrange the bikes in the paddock in date
order so that Dave Clark, who had
entered his beautiful 1922 W E Brough
Model W, was adjacent to me and was
conveniently at hand if I needed any
advice on the bike. For those who don't
know the work of George Brough's father,
William Brough, Dave's bike repays
careful study. It is an ultra-low fore-and-
aft flat-twin sports bike, with the engine
made in W E Brough's own factory, in
contrast to George Brough's Brough
Superiors where production engines were
The car park and paddock area at Kop Hill, with the course to the right.
Nick gets away in fine style
I n s i d e S t o r y H e a d l i n e
L ate November saw the motorcycle industry
stage its showpiece event of the year -
Motorcycle Live at the NEC. We were pleased to be
asked once again by Coventry Transport Museum to
assist them in staging the Classic Zone area within
the show, and this year the main theme was
Motorcycles from the War Years 1914-1918 and
1939-1945. Private owners and other museums
generously loaned us their machines, including the
Black Country Living Museum, who stepped in with
their belt driven 1918 Sunbeam, one of a batch
supplied to the French Army during WW1.
Phil Haslam to contest the F750 series, and converted to road
trim in 2014.
We’ve seen a few of Graham Nock’s bikes take the honours at
various shows over the years, and for this one he brought
along his lovely 1961 Norman B4 Sports (centre) featuring a
324cc Villiers power plant. The bike was originally prepared at
the factory for production racing and features alloy rims, high
compression heads, and twin front brakes.
Slimline and wideline featherbeds for sale (above right) in the
Autojumble at £900 apiece. A few yards away they were selling
new ones for not much more….
T he Autumn Stafford Classic Bike Show is mostly
dominated by bikes from the Japanese and European
marques, but there’s still some tasty British iron to be found if
you look hard enough. Villiers Services (top left) had a stand
that was somewhat bare, but the quality of their machines left
nothing to be desired. The Ford Thames 15cwt van in
particular was extraordinarily well restored.
Out in the Autojumble this fully restored 1953 BSA A7 twin
(top right) was one that caught the eye. Yours for £5,000, sir.
The bike we’d like to have taken home was this superb 1970
Weslake Metisse, (above left) originally built as a race bike for
S e e n a t S t a f f o r d C l a s s i c S h o w
M o t o r c y c l e L i v e
P a g e 6 B M C T N e w s
Here’s Ray Leggett with his 1958 BSA Bantam D5 on the Bantam
Owners’ Club stand at the Classic Motorbike Show. Ray is a
complete Bantam nut and even has his own private museum at
home dedicated to these tough little workhorses.
formed Monet-Goyon and set
up premises in Macon. In
1929 they absorbed another
French Marque, Koehler-
Escoffier and continued to
produce bikes under both
badges until the factory
closed in 1959.
A l t h o u g h a F r e n c h
manufacturer, there is
considerable British interest
in their output. They used a
range of Villiers engines in
their bikes and obtained a
licence to manufacture a
range of Villiers at their
Macon factory. In addition,
they used gearboxes by
From Mike Ricketts.
Any BMCT Members travelling
north or south through Western
France on the A10, either on
business or pleasure, would be
well rewarded to factor in a visit to
the Monet-Goyon Collection at
Melle. Leaving the Motorway
(Peage) at Junction 32, close to
Niort, you turn Eastwards some 20
miles to this pretty little town.
Monet-Goyon was a French
Motorcycle manufacturer. The
Engineer Joseph Monet had built
hand pedalled three wheelers for
use by amputees returning from
the Great War. In 1917, Monet
and Financier Adrien Goyon,
Burman, Albion and Sturmey
Archer.Dating from 1926, the
Monet-Goyon above is the
Type MC. Powered by a
Swiss M.A.G (Motosacoche
Acacias Geneve) 350cc single
cylinder engine, it is chain
driven final drive via a hand
change, three speed Burman
gearbox. The bike also
featured drum brakes front
and rear.
The Monet-Goyon Model S6V
above dates from 1950. It is
powered by a 125cc Villiers
incorporating a three speed
gearbox, built under licence at
the MG factory and is fitted
with rear suspension.
The Monet-Goyon collection
M e m b e r s ’ P a g e
P a g e 7 I s s u e 2 9
GREETINGS FROM JOHN ROSAMOND, FORMER CHAIRMAN OF
THE MERIDEN TRIUMPH WORKERS’ CO-OPERATIVE
Can I wish all BMCT members a happy and healthy 2015. The
picture is of my "Reminiscences of the Triumph Meriden
Factory" talk at the National Motorcycle Museum. What a
fabulous venue Hall 1 provides for the Midland Section of the
Vintage Motor Cycle Club. Any BMCT members who belong to a
club that has not yet received my popular talk can email me
at chris.rosamond1@googlemail.com.
can be found at:
Espace Sainte Catherine
Place de la Poste
79500 MELLE
Registerered Office:
Holly Cottage
Main Street
Bishampton
Pershore
United Kingdom
WR10 2NH
Phone:01386 462524
Mobile: 07754 880116
E-mail: info@bmct.org
T H E B R I T I S H
M O T O R C Y C L E
C H A R I T A B L E
T R U S T
Preserving the past...for the future
Trustees: I N Walden OBE (Chairman) P J Wellings, S Bagley,
T P V Barnes, J F R Handley, M Jackson, J N Jeffery, J Kidson,
Registered in England No. 01445196
Registered Charity No. 509420
Published by Matchless Management Services, Holly Cottage, Main Street, Bishampton, Pershore WR10 2NH
www.bmct.org
Dates For Your Diary 2015
February 7th-8th - Bristol Classic MotorCycle Show
Despite the title, the show is held 23 miles away at the Bath
and West Showground, Shepton Mallet, Somerset. There’s a
classic bike auction by Charterhouse on the Sunday.
February 20th - 22nd - Race Retro Historic Motorsport Show
This is mainly a show for car enthusiasts, but motorcycles
aren’t ignored, as there’s a section devoted to competition
bikes. It’s on for three days at the National Agricultural
Centre, Stoneleigh Park, near Kenilworth.
February 21st - 22nd - Putoline Classic Dirt Bike Show
Alan Wright’s popular winter show for dirt bike and road racing
enthusiasts at Telford International Centre has been taken
over by Mortons and rebranded. Expect to see the usual good
mix of off-road competition machinery, special guests, and an
Autojumble in the car park. Parking’s a nightmare so get there
early!
March 7th - VMCC Somerset Section Autojumble
At the same venue as the Bristol Classic MotorCycle Show, but
a month later, so hopefully warm enough to go on the bike!
April 18th-19th - 50th VMCC Coventry to Brighton Run
After a couple of years off the calendar, this popular event is
back and in the capable organisational hands of the VMCC
Midlands Section. As before, the BMCT will be at the Coventry
Transport Museum start ridiculously early laying on coffee and
bacon butties for the hardy contestants. The rider of the oldest
machine traditionally carries a letter of greeting from the
Mayor of Coventry to his opposite number in Brighton.
New Members
Welcome to the following new members and supporters of our cause:
David Kewley, Offenham Colin Leonard, Andover
Ian Spicer, Christchurch Alan Birch, Worthing
Jonathan Dailey, Northwich Adrian Jurd, Waterlooville
Ellis Pitt, Upton-upon-Severn Bruce Carey, Worcester
Steve Todd, Newport John Kelley, Waterlooville
Stephen Lee, South Molton Daniel Warwick, Poole
Lorna Howard, Poole Trevor Newell, Christchurch
Geoffrey Freeborn, High Wycombe David Jordan, Ampthill
Robert Wiles, Orpington Jeni Wicks, Crewkerne
Les Barham, Crewkerne Roy Lambert, Worcester
Anthony Stanes, Sanderstead William Tustin, Faringdon
Gearoid Conneely, Wisley Carol Bentley, Eastleigh
Philip Scaife, Didcot Mike Curtis, Cheddar
Martin Seymour, Caversham Richard Hopgood, Abingdon
Anita Bradshaw, Southampton Simon Bradshaw, Southampton
Tony Lockwood, Teaticket, USA Paul Pollard, Westgate-on-Sea
Alan White, New Milton Janet White, New Milton
Martin Maslin, Swindon Debra Maslin, Swindon
Roy Hazelden, Uckfield Richard Forgan, Aylesbury
Peter Davies, Castle Cary Peter Reeve, Dibden Purlieu
Alan Jennings, Billericay John Foskett, Christchurch
Ralph Godwin, Dorking Janice Worner, Haslemere
Alan Kingsnorth, Totton Anthony Pearce. Hove
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