Just added to the gallimaufry: some more stepping stones in the pre-history of the motor cycle including pics of the first IC engine and the three-wheeler it powered (Lenoir); a pic of the ancestor of the two-stroke (Clerk), a flame-ignited IC engine from 1838 (Barnett) and an engine running on wood-gas (Lebon).
The latest addition to the A-Z Gallimaufry concerns the adventures of EJ Pennington: coiner of the word ‘motorcycle’; inventor of the ‘long mingling spark’ and the ‘war automobile’; entrepreneur, philanderer and, above all, world-class conman who ripped off entire towns. Roll up folks—its a great yarn!
For your delectation—full reports on the Scottish and ACU Six Days’ Trials and the TT (including the first win by a Manxman), a fascinating feature on the evolution of the motor cycle, roadtests, heaps of new models including a two-stroke shafty, ladies’ fashions, hill climbs, races, technical innovations, a unicycle, two-wheel cars, Ixion at his most whimsical and, I kid you not, a hero supporting a Douglas (and rider) with his teeth.
The listing for 1922 is amost complete, bar some more illustrations. The traditional Christmas story is rather good; you’ll also find some rather of-the-wall accessories and much more mirthful material besides.
Uploaded this very day, a report of the thrills and spills of the 1922 TT, complete with Ixion’s impressions of the action, news of misbehaving TT riders annoying Manx folk and the sad tale of a rider who was forced to retire when his braces snapped.
A full report on the big one, the ACU Six Days, is awaiting you in the 1922 Features section. Tales of endurance, technical notes and drawings, a staffer’s view of the trial, some cobby tiddlers and the debut of a big BruffSup…there’s plenty to read and loads of period pics. It was a great event.
1922 is turning out to be full of interest. Yarns uploaded today include the definitve story of the invention of the skidlid; an Edinburgh Trial competitor who ended up with hare on his face; a banking sidecar on test; a Harley with sidecar-wheel drive and a hill so steep that bikes were lowered back down on a rope. And we’re only half way through the year. It definitely beats 2020.
In 1922 The Motor Cycle published its 1,000th issue and marked the milestone with a number of retrospectives, including a definitive history of the birth and evolution of the sidecar—in 1922 sidecar outfits were the most common vehicles on UK roads. And in the 1922 Features section you’ll find a real gem: nothing less than a succinct history of motor cycling evolution penned by Ixion.
The Scottish Six Days Trial had never been a stroll in the park but Spring came late in 1922—competitors slogged through torrential rain, sleet, gales and blizzards, over boulder styrewn moorland tracks, up freak mud-covered hils and through freezing watersplashes. None of which stopped some indomitable women riders joining the fray, and one of them won a gold medal. This one really is a ripping yarn.
More stories and pics are being added from 1922 including roadtests of the four-valve Ricardo Triumph, Harley’s 4hp flat twin and a brace of Brough Superiors; some extremely whimsical Ixionisms; a reader asking advice on a ‘subterrabrain waveium’; details of straight-six, four-pot two-stroke and radial-three engines; plans for an indoor garage; musical accompaniment at Brooklands; and a music hall artiste balancing a running Duggie (with rider) on his teeth. It’s going to be a busy year.
