Another year done (not that any year in the timeline is ever complete; more stories and pics are being dropped in all the time) another year started. I’m busy uploading material from 1931, so far including a gallery of pillion seats which, under the latest Road Traffic Act, had to be properly made and fitted. You’ll also find roadtests of the 490cc ohv Norton and the third-generation Ivory Calthorpe. Then there’s a report on a snowbound Bemrose trial, an autocycle with Sachs appeal, Burman’s latest four-speed box and an RAC patrolman who stopped a runaway horse-drawn milk float on his motorbike. And I’ve barely started. There are also more pics to browse through in the second melange picture gallery.

It’s official: the first Junior Manx Grand Prix was the wettest, murkiest, slipperiest Manx race to date. Great yarn though. Rudges were strutting their stuff big time. Ixion penned a superlative analysis of the British bike industry as displayed at Olympia, while his Northern team-mate Wharfedale made some observations on motor cycle design and maintenance that still ring true. Of course we’re saying hello to the first Squariel and the Matchless V4, but you’ll also find word of a Scott 650 vertical twin and a roadtest of Scott’s 300cc single. The test of the Panther Model 100 will have every Panther owner, me included, grinning with pride. There’s loads of bikes, loads of races, loads of off-road jollity and much more to come. I’m enjoying 1930, hope you are too.

You’ll find roadtests of two utility mounts in 1930 along with a non-stop 350-lap winter run on the Island, a unit-construction Puch with a forked conrod, a four-speed Sun, an early use of throwover panniers and a tankbag, a woman taking her first, and only, lesson on a combo—and a deco-styled streamliner that will knock your socks off. It’s going to be a busy year. And there are more pics to browse through in the second ‘melange’ page.

The Illustrative Melange now contains more than 600 pics so I’ve opened a second page for mixed pics which you can reach via the main menu. There’s a batch of photos to browse through; more will be added soon as will material for 1930.

The ISDT moved from Yorkshire to the Alps; it was described as “the most fantastic week in the history of motor cycling”. It was Sunbeam’s year at the TT. Brough Superior and BMW went head to head in the world record stakes. The hunt was on for the Everyman motor cycle. Motorbikes circled the globe. It was a busy year and you can read all about it.Next stop, the thirties.

Busy busy…you’ll find a lot to read and a lot to see in 1928, including loads of pics from the Olympia Show, a smashing Ixion yarn looking forward to the 1938 show, the arrival of speedway, the arrival of HRD-Vincent, another Maude’s Trophy for Ariel, a Junior TT 1-2 for cammy Velos with the new-fangled foot-operated gearchange, loads of record breaking rides, a rider’s view of the duplex-steered OEC—and a chunky transverse V-twin from the comrades who gave the world it’s favourite assault rifle. There’s lots more besides, and lots more to come (including the poignant story of William Morrison Globb).

For now, a least, all the material I have for 1927 is now on line. The katest additions inclkude a roadtest of the Panthette, a saucy tale of an Austrial valkyrie from Ixion, a report from the Ulster TT, a hair raising round-the-world run by a brace of Rudges, a trial in which competitors had fish tied to ther bikes, a good collection of ads and…you get the picture. A couple of eyebrow-raising letters have been added to the Letters page, some cool illustrations have been added to the Artwork page and I’ve been pulling 1928 copies of the Blue ‘Un and Gren ‘Un off the shelf to get busy on a new year. It’s only a hobby.

Isn’t it wonderful when plans don’t come to fruition? I was about to get stuck in to expanding the yarns in 1928 when I realised I’d overlooked a load of material for 1927. That’s being added now, and a large number of pics and adverts have been added to most years up to 1914. The melange and artwork pages have also been expanded. And that’s in addition to sorting out a new rear tyre for the combo and, the weather being clement for the time of year, putting in a few miles on the Sportster. Meanwhile Francois in Thailand has been sending in some fine images for 1928 and my old oppo Bill has been sorting out 1928 pics from his extensive archive in Manxland including some fab TT shots. Where would we be without our mates?

Just added to Letters to the Editor are eight more letters, published between 1903-30. I hope you’ll find all of them of interest; to modern eyes some are eyebrow raising, if not face palming. As an example: “I regret to see that you are advocating, or rather countenancing, the adoption of motor bicycle driving by ladies. To my mind, woman was never made for an engine driver, and has not that cool nerve required so often in motoring…” The correspondent continues at some length and women riders weren’t slow to reply. And there’s a latter from an individual claiming to be the heaviest rider in England.