1953

“IT WAS ONLY a week before the publication of our Jubilee number that George VI, Britain’s motor cycling king, passed on after a reign devoted to the service of his people. Time was—and I have personal memories of it—when he was a keen rider, and one, it may be added, of spirit. His Majesty enjoyed himself on his machines, and probably got as much kick out of them as any young man naturally does. He became a patron, too, of the sport. And now we have entered upon the second Elizabethan age, which should be, like the first, one of adventure. That many are entering it in that spirit is already evident, and the example set by HRH the Duke of Edinburgh is something to be noted. I am not thinking of the fact that he is learning to fly so much as of the interest that he shows in motoring in all its forms, including the one nearest to our hearts. He is Patron of the A-CU, President of the AA, and President-in-Chief of the British Racing Drivers’ Club, and it looks as though, in him, the motor-using community has found a much-needed champion. It was a happy augury for the future that he consented to open the first Motor Cycle Show to be held in the new reign.”

THE AGE REPORTED: “The oldest inhabitant of Market Lavington (Wiltshire), Mr George Dobsony, aged 95, has decided that he will never ride his motor cycle again. He made this resolve after the Devises magistrates had convicted him for having driven his motor cycle without due care and attention. The magistrates put Dobson on probation for three years on condition that he did not ride his motor cycle during that period. This arose from a minor collision when the senior citizen of Market Lavington, according to the prosecution, pulled across the path of an on coming car without giving a hand signal. The motorist, Herbert Dummer, of Corsham, said, ‘The old gentleman had two bottles of liquor in his pocket. His hand was slightly hurt, but he seemed to be more concerned with recovering one bottle which fell on the road and did not break than about the collision.” After his conviction Dobson said, ‘I have been motor cycling since 1913 without an accident. I ought to know how to drive by now. I had my arm out for the whole length of this piece of road. There has been too much fuss.’ Despite his advanced age, Dobson has been on his motor cycle almost every day. Sometimes he went shopping on it, or to see his wife in hospital and on other days he sped along to the Wheatsheaf Inn after a day in the garden, to get himself a couple of bottles of beer for supper.”

“SCOOTERS SHOULD BE more in the picture when the industry holds its next exhibition next autumn. Here Britain is very much behind the Continent. For that no justification is apparent. I look forward to the outcome, and it should not be long before the first signs of it appear. We must have supremacy all round, remember, if it is to be worth very much. At the moment we make the world’s best motor cycles in certain classes. But I want to see us taking the unquestioned lead in all, including that of the scooter.”

“OUR FRENCH CONTEMPORARY ‘Motocycles’ CONTAINS an interesting account of two recent inventions of M Arestié, a specialist in electrical equipment, which should prove popular among ‘all-weather’ motor cyclists. The first, a hand-heater which can he used on any motorcycle equipped with a flywheel generator, consists of a pair of fabric covers which lace over the handlebar grips. The internal heating elements of the covers are fed directly by the flywheel generator, the current consumption being so small that it in no way diminishes the efficiency of the lighting. The other invention, a foot-warmer, is designed specifically for scooters and consists of two shallow aluminium boxes which can be fixed to the foot boards, the heat being derived from the engine exhaust gases circulated through the boxes. The inventor has equipped his own Vespa with these two devices and they have been tested by ‘Motocycles’, which reports favourably on their efficiency and the absence of any ill-effects on the machine’s performance.”

“WITH THE INTRODUCTION, by a number of concerns, of safety helmets designed expressly for ‘civilian’ use, there has been an increasing demand from readers for first-hand information on the subject of safety headgear. As a consequence, examples of the products of several makers have been worn recently by members of Motor Cycling’s staff: the ‘Corker’, produced by J Compton, Sons and Webb, who have for many years specialised in the.,production of protective headgear; the ‘Cromwell’, which emanates from Helmets, of St Albans, already well known in motor cycling circles for their racing ‘bowlers’ ; the ‘Aviakit Mark 2’, from the house of D Lewis; and the Feridax ‘St Christopher’…The ‘Corker’ features a shell of resin-bonded gossamer layers, covered with cork to give a certain amount of resilience. A cork peak is fitted, this being flexible—an important point—so that it will fold over the nose and eyes to give protection to the face in the event of a fall without the wearer incurring the danger of neck injuries, which is always present with a rigid peak. On the latest models, the head cradle takes the form of a fore-and-aft web strap with a width of 4in, and a separate cross-strap, of heavier material, 2⅛in wide. This, it has been found, gives greater comfort than the narrow straps which featured on the earlier helmets. In the forepart of the shell is a substantial sponge-rubber pad which continues to the helmet crown Ventilation is provided by air holes, rubber-grommeted, which are situated two on each side. An adjustable leather headband, reinforced by canvas, is stitched to the shell. with an interposed foam-rubber shock absorber continuing around the base of the helmet. Side flaps only are fitted, these being of leather, canvas-lined. A leather strap, with a quick-action buckle, has a chamois panel to prevent slip, and the side-flaps are provided with ear holes. Various colour finishes are available, and the helmet retails at 65s [=£120 in 2026] including PT. In use the ‘Corker’ has proved eminently satisfactory. It weighs 16oz and even on runs of over 100 miles, no ill effects were noted…Very

welcome indeed was the warmth of the helmet in cold winds or rain and under wet conditions the peak proved invaluable, fully protecting the rider’s goggles, allowing only a few spots to appear on the lenses during a really heavy shower. Because it was not easy to raise the goggles over the fixed peak, the testers soon acquired the knack of slipping them down to hang around the neck. Similar in construction, the ‘Aviakit’—marketed by D Lewis—was tried out in its latest Mark 2 form, which has a full leather neck curtain, adjustable for closeness of fit. Unlike the ‘Corker’, the ‘Aviakit’ has internal ventilation, this being achieved by arranging four air ducts in the sponge-rubber shock pad. ‘Very comfortable’ was the report of the staffman who used this helmet. Also tested with the helmet was a visor which Lewis produce specially to match. A clear celluloid screen, with a buckled leather head-strap, it fits neatly over the flexible peak and is retained in place by a moulded rubber grommet. At the rear, it is fastened by the goggle strap, which is an integral part of the helmet. Of identical design, with the exception of the use of side flaps instead of a full neck curtain, the ‘Aviakit Mark 1’ weighs 17oz and retails at 55s 6d [£95], while the Mark 2, weighing approximately the same, costs 59s 11d [£110], inc PT. At 42s [£75] inc PT the ‘Cromwell’ is the cheapest helmet on the market. Although, externally, it resembles a racing helmet, it is actually of somewhat different construction. The shell is of wood pulp, bonded by a special synthetic resin. To this extremely strong outer casing is riveted the adjustable head cradle, consisting of three looped webbing straps 1n. wide. The combined chin-strap and necklet is in lined gaberdine and the chinstrap fixing is by means of two press studs. The strap is adjustable and, once it has been set, the buckle need not be touched. The ‘Cromwell’—which, the makers claim, will pass the impact test of the BSS 1869 for crash helmets—weights 17oz. and is both warm and comfortable in wear. The ear holes are provided with muffs to prevent wind rush and to exclude water, while a slightly more expensive edition—priced at 46s 6d [£85] inc PT—is provided with a leather necklet in place of the gaberdine type fitted to the model which was tested. Only one fault was apparent in the ‘Cromwell’, and that only a minor one. The cut-away at the front, which is provided to allow goggles to be comfortably accommodated, proved to be a trifle too shallow to take the popular Mark VIII goggles. These had, perforce, to be rested on the helmet itself, at an angle, which proved to be detrimental to windproofing. Apart from that, the ‘Cromwell’ acquitted itself admirably. When the extremely low price is taken into consideration, it seems destined to achieve popularity amongst riders with whom first cost is of prime importance. There is one further ‘Cromwell’ model which, retailing at 70s [£125] inc PT has a

leather, instead of a painted, finish and which is supplied with either a soft peak or a rubber buffer. Slightly heavier—the weight is, approximately, 20oz—this helmet has constructional features similar to those in the cheaper ‘Cromwell’ models. Lastly, there is the newly introduced stylish ‘St Christopher’, marketed by Feridax. The ‘St Christopher’ helmet dispenses entirely with both side and neck curtains and relies upon a pair of ‘Y’ straps. These, it was felt, were somewhat inadequate, and an improvement in this department would be indicated, especially as the absence of side-flaps naturally detracts from the degree of weather protection offered. That consideration apart, the Feridax product is good-looking, well designed and well made. Fibre-glass layer-moulding is employed for the shell, which has an integral peak. Although seemingly stiff, this will, in fact, bend considerably under load. A foam-rubber strip is interposed between the rim of the shell and the leather head-band, to which are sewn—by nylon thread—eight webbing cross-straps, these having a centre drawstring. Holes are drilled around the rim to take the nylon headband lace, which is subsequently covered with tape before the helmet is sprayed with felt flock. The rim and peak have a rubber moulding around the edges and the ‘Y’ straps, buckle-adjusted, press-stud into place. Available in a variety of colours, several of which match motorcycle finishes, the ‘St Christopher’ weighs only 12oz and retails at 44s 10d [£80] inc PT. Appearance has formerly been one of the stumbling blocks in the way of a general adoption of helmets. In the course of these tests, however, comment on the headgear was generally favourable, both by riders and laymen. With such a variety of helmets to choose from, the rider who wishes to invest in this form of ‘extra insurance’ against injury need no longer be deterred by the absence of suitable headgear, or by considerations of price. It is not without significance that at least two members of Motor Cycling’s staff who were responsible for compiling this article have decided to adopt safety helmets as standard headgear and that one has such a helmet in daily use for his return trip of 10 miles through some the busiest and worst-surfaced streets of London. And clubs can now seriously consider the Duke of Edinburgh’s suggestion, made at the Earls Court Show, of the adoption of distinctive club helmets.”

“HOTLY OPPOSED AS I have always been to making the wearing of safety helmets compulsory, I share the view that the practice is certainly one to be encouraged. More and more riders seem to be coming round to that way of thinking, and the wearer of a helmet is no longer such an uncommon sight on the roads. To popularise the safety helmet should not prove difficult. Two things would be necessary, the first being to free it from purchase tax. That will no doubt be done before very long, and the second requirement is really the more important. It is that some interested body, which could be Rospa, or even the Transport Ministry, should appoint a public relations expert to put the idea across to the motor cycling nubile. The right man would start getting results quite quickly, and probably within a year or two his task could be considered as having been accomplished. It is only a matter of getting a fashion accepted, and the most effective way of doing that is to employ the services of a specialist. You can induce people to stick to beer, or eat more bananas, by the right kind of publicity, as was most convincingly demonstrated in those two instances. And you could have most motor cyclists wearing protective headgear by the same method.”

IN THE USA PROFESSOR Red Lombard was granted a patent for a crash helmet.

“LISTENERS TO THE broadcast on road safety given on January 19 by Mr Gurney Braithwaite, Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Transport, were left with the impression that the Government intends to do all that ties within its power to assist the Coronation year campaign to reduce the accident rate…Yet within 24 hours of making his moving appeal to motor cyclists to wear protective helmets, Mr Braithwaite heard the Chancellor of- the Exchequer decline to exempt such headgear from purchase tax…The lame excuse put forward by Mr Butler was that helmets must be classed as protective clothing…[However] no trouble was experienced by Treasury officials in making protective helmets designed for miners and quarrymen exempt from purchase tax. Many miners and quarrymen ride motor cycles; surely it cannot seriously be argued that protection for their heads is of greater importance when they are at work than when they are going to and from work? Yet that is the implication in the Treasury’s ruling, which makes one type of helmet subject to tax and the other type exempt. Hair-splitting is a pastime beloved of bureaucrats, but when it may involve head-splitting the game becomes a dangerous one. The skull of a miner is neither more nor less valuable than the skull of a motor cyclist, but at present the helmet designed to save the latter from serious injury ranks, pari passu, in the eyes of the Treasury officials, with the grocer’s apron.”

“THE ROYAL SOCIETY for the Prevention of Accidents is offering a prize of £100 for the motor cycle club which submits the best suggestion for methods of popularising the use of safety helmets among riders and pillion passengers.”

LEGISLATION TO COMPEL motor cyclists to wear safety helmets was called for in the House of Lords by Lord Teviot (Nat Lib). He quoted from the letter of a coroner who had held six inquests on motor cyclists since last June, saying that in each case death had been due to head injuries and that none of the victims had been wearing a helmet. Lord Teviot argued that though many motor cyclists wished to wear safety helmets they were deterred by fear of ridicule. Personally, he said, he thought the helmets quite attractive and saw no reason why they should not be available in many colours and have club badges painted on them.”

“THE QUESTION OF whether a safety helmet should have a peak is more important than it looks. Everybody knows that experts frown on the mere idea of a peak for a racing helmet. If a stiff peak scrapes anything in a spill, it may wrench the helmet out of position and almost destroy the theoretic protection. But some authorities take rather a different view of a very light peak on roadster helmets. Unquestionably, a peak shades the eyes from fierce sun, from headlamp dazzle, and from hail or rain. It is improbable that—for example—a light celluloid peak, secured round the helmet by an elastic no stronger than goggles’ elastic, would wrench the helmet in a major crash. Ergo, a similarly light peak, lightly secured to the helmet (perhaps press-buttons?), could be far more convenient and just as safe? More than one manufacturer, eager to cater for the growing trade in helmets, takes the view that a light peak is both desirable and safe. The sooner we are given an authoritative decision on the point, the better.”—Ixion

“IN HIS NEAT, effortless and faultless style Rod W Coleman, on Norton and AJS machines, won both Senior and Junior New Zealand TT titles on January 10, at Mangere, Auckland. Twelve thousand witnessed Coleman’s riding and were satisfied that they had seen a rider of world’s class. He was 3min 28sec faster in the Junior event than Jim Swarbrick’s winning 1952 time and also clocked the fastest lap in 4min 36sec—80.86mph against the 4min 46sec of the 1952 event. On his Manx Norton he made fastest lap in the Senior when he clocked the 6.2-mile circuit in 4min 24sec—84.54mph. Unfortunately the Senior was only run over 12 laps, 74.4 miles, owing to a mishap on the opening lap when Gordon Haggitt, braking late for a corner, collided with a flag marshal. As a consequence the ambulance van had to go out on the course. Under the new NZ A-CU ruling no rider may pass the ambulance while it is in motion. The rule did not work out as intended, for the van came on to the course just as Coleman, Hollier, Perry, Jensen and Laurent had gone by, thus

splitting the field. While the former five went on uninterrupted the others had to slow behind the ambulance. As the leaders finished the third lap they were red-flagged to stop and the race was eventually restarted. As the road closure operated only to 4pm, race distance was reduced from 17 to 12 laps. The almost flat rectangular course at Mangere comprises four miles of tar-sealed surface and two miles of metal. This latter section was treated with oil and early morning rain also helped to minimise the dust nuisance of the 1952 races. Official road closure was from 11am. At 11.15am the riders were sent off on their half-hour practice period. Shortly after noon the 28 juniors were started off by the local MP, Mr Leon Gotz. THE JUNIOR RACE: At the end of the first lap Coleman led Murphy, Jensen, Gibbs, Horner and Simpson. All bar Hollier (Norton) were riding 7R AJS machines. From his push start Coleman clocked 4min 49sec against Swarbrick’s opening lap of 5min in the 1952 race. On his third and fourth laps Coleman equalled the Senior 1952 lap record of 4min 36sec, 80.86mph, after which he settled down to touring laps between 4min 40sec and 4min 46sec. With his motor spluttering Jensen pulled in to his pit at the end of round three to find a flooding carburetter, traced later to a punctured float. The early pattern of the race changed little.,Coleman steadily increased his lead on Peter Murphy and ran out the winner with 1min 34sec lead on Murphy, who had ridden hard and consistently on John ale’s 7R. Leo Simpson caused a mild sensation when he passed Keith Gibbs on the final mile and the pair roared across the line a machine length apart. Results (17 laps, 105 miles): 1, RW Coleman (AJS), 78.8mph; 2, P Murphy (AJS); 3, LT Simpson (AJS); 4, K Gibbs (AJS); 5, A Hollier (Norton); 6, N McCutcheon (AJS). THE SENIOR RACE: Thirty-three of the 42 entrants started in the Senior race at 2pm. The crowd were toeing the tarseal when the Seniors were sent off. In the first 100 yards three riders collided, with David Bell being forced into the crowd, luckily without serious hurt, although he lost two minutes before resuming. Later, on the final mile of that lap, Haggit and a flag marshal collided, necessitating hospital treatment

for suspected concussion to both. On the third lap the riders were stopped and the race restarted with the four leaders, Coleman, Jensen, Hollier and Perry, placed in the front row. From his push start Coleman knocked a second off the 1952 lap record of ,4min 36sec, and next round further consolidated his lead with a lap in 4min 27sec, 83.59mph. Meantime, Hollier, Jensen, Perry, Murphy and Laurent completed the leader board. On his fifth tour Coleman made the fastest lap of the day in 4min 24sec, 84.54mph, proving the Mangere course to be the fastest in New Zealand and Rod the fastest rider, but no proof of that was necessary. At half-distance, 37.2 miles, Nortons held the first five positions, with Coleman, Hollier, Perry, Jensen and Laurent in that order and Doug Johnston (GP Triumph) next, just ahead of Murphy on a slowing Matchless twin which caused his retirement next lap. While Coleman was riding superbly, Hollier, making his first competitive appearance since his return, was well ahead of Perry and Jensen, who were only a few machine lengths apart throughout and thus held more interest than the two leaders. On the 11th lap Jensen had to ride wide round a slower competitor, skidded in the loose surface bordering the tarseal, and retired. Coleman ended his 12th lap with victory by 45 seconds over Hollier, who had made a splendid recovery from his left-foot injury sustained when practising on Boxing Day at the Wanganui meeting. Results (12 laps, 74:4 miles): 1, RW Coleman (Norton), 82.3mph; 2, D Hollier (Norton); 3, LV Perry (Norton); 4, RJ Laurent (Norton); 5, D Johnston (Triumph); 6, LT Simpson (348 AJS).

“AT THE PRESS TRIAL the 197cc B2C Norman, ridden by a member of Motor Cycling’s advertisement staff, excited considerable comment because, first, it had a sound, pleasing appearance—made for the job, in other words—and, secondly, used by a comparative novice the machine handled excellently and enabled its rider to finish well and to win an award. It seemed expedient to learn more about the newest competition model to come from the well-known Ashford, Kent, concern. We were entrusted with the Press trial model, the property of Mr AF Wheeler, who had acquired the machine for his personal use. Arthur Wheeler had run it in sufficiently for us to make use of the full performance available. The Norman’s main-road performance, of course, was restricted by trials gears, but the 197cc Villiers motor, on which the Wheeler Tuning Department had already made several ‘mods’ including the fitting of an Amal carburetter, pulled very willingly. At the first sight of some waste ground everybody ‘had a go’ and expressed pleasant surprise at the way in which the B2C leapt up little escarpments and slogged through sand and mud patches. Good omen. Now for a real test. The standard tyre arrangement was superseded, the back tyre being of 4in. section, whilst at the front the standard wheel had been replaced by a 21×3. By taking a certain amount of liberty with waterlogged tree roots and morass sections, a pleasant half-hour was spent revealing the very likeable and tractable nature of the machine. The

B2C shares with only one other competition model of similar engine capacity, the short-wheelbase dimension of 48in. This seems to be a beneficial factor allowing not only a tight turning circle, but a sense of positivity, or ‘one-ness’ with the rider on all types of terrain. In the mud and on ‘side-of-a-house gradient’ the Norman’s fork action was tested to the full. For 1953, of course, the hydraulic forks have been superseded by an improved spring system with deep rubber end-stops. At extreme and sudden deflections there was no feeling of harsh impact—and it should be emphasised that the ‘nadgery’ stuff was well mixed with a number of fast runs over wasteland, gullied and rutted to a degree which would have delighted the average scrambles, rather than trials, organiser. Switch-back hills, with a leaf-mould dressing, enabled the Villiers unit, a standard engine, with a 7.25:1 compression ratio and a brake horsepower figure of 8.4 at 4,000rpm, to demonstrate prowess in permitting almost idling rpm as the machine trickled down 1-in-2½ gradients at walking pace on the release valve, and then, given the proverbial ‘gun’ at the bottom, to climb 60ft or more, up the opposite side of the bank, with the front wheel just pawing at the rough surface, actually threatening to lift all the while. So much for the praise. Points of criticism are few. They include such minor grumbles as those concerning the positioning of the knee-grips, which tend to jab at one’s knee-caps if one is striving in an on-the-rests posture to navigate the model up a difficult section. The cure would be simple. And the exhaust note…In common with that of a number of modern two-strokes, the Norman strikes one as being loud, considering that, irrespective of the sporting character of the machine in question, a certain amount of town and suburban riding is inseparable from normal usage.

The rear brake, unavoidably immersed in water at an early stage of the ride, did not, even after diligent ‘drying out’ usage, provide quite the degree of retardation expected of such a really well-made component. Normans now employ a cast hub and brake drum. Perseverance with the front brake on the run back to Epsom thoroughly dried out the linings and produced a 100% stopper. In general, however, and despite the rather short wheelbase, the abbreviated dimensions of the B2C appeared to suit the stature of all members of the party, ranging from a six-footer to the writer, who is 5ft 8in in height. The Norman saddle, which is adjustable, had a good average position for road or cross-country riding, footrests and handlebars, standard equipment and factory fitted, conformed with the remainder of the lay-out which seemed to be very satisfactory. The Norman, hitherto cultivated for competition work by one or two enthusiasts only, has remained, to some extent, an unknown quantity in the sporting field. Hence this article which, in the opinion of the writer, puts the potentialities of a pleasing little machine into somewhat sharper focus. Competitively priced at £127 17s 4d inc PT the 197cc Competition model from Kent has pleasing dual character in that, whilst obviously a most satisfactory mount for the inexperienced trials rider, it is also, apparently, the choice of an expert. At Ashford, Kent, they call it the B2C a practical though, perhaps, unimaginative, type name. In fact, from experience gained by several people during the past two weeks or so, this little model has all the promise of becoming quite a Norman ‘Conquest’.”

“IT IS ALMOST INEVITABLE that the name of Steib should be coupled with that of BMW when sidecar outfits are under discussion, for in many yeas this German-built motor cycle, has been harnessed to this German-built sidecar so frequently that the immediate reaction on seeing another make of ‘chair’ attached to the machine would be one of surprise. By courtesy of Kings of Oxford a model R 67/2 BMW, to which was attached a sports single-seater S5OOL Steib sidecar, was lent to Motor Cycling for an extended test. It had but 400 miles registered on the speedometer. During the three months the outfit was in our hands it was used for routine journeys and, on several occasions, for express runs from London to Birmingham. ‘Express’ is a suitable word to use for, from door to door, the motorcycle proved to be a faster means of transport than the train. The BMW is a unique motorcycle; it possesses many of the features that appear in specifications dreamed up by an enthusiast in his search for the ideal model. Neat in appearance, the transverse, ho-twin engine, with car-type clutch, a unit gearbox and shaft drive, looks compact. Few external auxiliaries live outside the light-alloy castings which form so much of the engine and in fact they number but two—the pair of German Bing carburetters. Basically simple in conception, the main casting is virtually a box into which the crankshaft is inserted at approximately mid-height. Above the crankshaft—which runs on ball bearings—is a single camshaft driven by helical gears. On to the sides of the box are bolted the cylinder barrels of cast iron with light-alloy heads. The magneto, with stationary windings, and the 60-watt dynamo, are driven respectively by extensions of the camshaft and the crankshaft. Thus there are three compartments within the outer skin; a central area in which crankshaft and cams work, a forward annexe for the camshaft-and oil-pump drives and, at the extreme front of the engine, a third compartment in which are located the electrical components. The base of the central compartment forms the oil sump, closed by a simple, shallow, pressing. The drive is taken through a single-plate clutch to an all indirect gearbox and finally to a helically toothed crown-wheel and pinion via a shaft which has a rubber coupling at its forward end and a

mechanical universal joint immediately in front of the bevel housing. A duplex tube, welded frame- carries the engine-gearbox unit and has undamped plunger suspension at the rear; the telescopic front forks have double-acting hydraulic damping. An important and to-day, unusual virtue is that all the wheels are not only quickly detachable, but interchangeable as well. Several features are unusual to British eyes. Positive-stop gear changes are made with a short pedal on the left-hand side and the kickstarter, also on the left-hand side, works transversely. A simple suspension, involving a trailing arm and coil spring, is fitted to the sidecar wheel and the outfit is therefore fully sprung. Initially, certain details had to be memorised: foot brake on the right; gear change on the left; ignition switch case combined with light switch—push in to turn the ‘sparks’ when red indicator light goes on together with a green ‘neutral’ gear indicator light. Turning this switch to the right brought in the tail and ‘dim’ light, turning to left produced the full driving light. The dip switch, combined with the horn button, was found on the left-hand bar. Fitted on the left, the sidecar chassis rail is apt to be knocked and scraped when the kick-start lever is pushed down and this prevents full use of the starter which could, with advantage, be geared higher. For some reason, the machine did not always react to well-established routine when starting from cold. In nine attempts out of ten, immediate response was forthcoming when the carburetters were flooded and the air-control, on the gearbox casing, was closed; the 10th attempt finished with a ‘wet’ engine and almost full throttle opening had to be given. When warm, a push with the hand on the pedal was sufficient and, indeed, used frequently for demonstration purposes. With first gear engaged—silently if the very light clutch was withdrawn quite fully—the green indicator light goes out. The drive is taken up quickly but smoothly once the short movement of the clutch had been appreciated. At no time during the test was there any sign of clutch slip whatsoever. Considerable experimentation was necessary before silent upward gearchanges could be made. Without due deliberation—and always if the rider was in a hurry—a tell-tale ‘clonk’ resulted. Downward changes were invariably accompanied by some noise; in this case, the quicker they were made, the quieter they proved to be. This noise appears to be inseparable from units with an engine-speed clutch-to-gear-box mainshaft. It is thought also, that a twist-grip with a quicker action and less backlash would assist materially on downward changes. Perhaps insufficient time was allowed for the engine to settle itself for when cold a light piston slap noise came from one cylinder. This disappeared when the engine warmed up, returning if the unit was run slowly for any length of time. A tight gudgeon pin was the

snap diagnosis but it interfered little with the performance of the machine and was outstanding only because of the lack of noise generally. This general mechanical silence was undoubtedly one of the most endearing features of the BMW. Other than for the exhaust burble—a reasonably subdued note—milestones passed in silence, for valve-gear, gearbox and transmission were quite inaudible. With the ability to rev freely and with, a comparatively low compression ratio, the performance characteristics were unusual. It was quite possible to force a long pull in top gear without sign of distress and yet the engine would turn smoothly in ‘third’ at over 50mph. Although the machine was almost devoid of vibration, there was one small period which made itself felt, and this was on the over-run at approximately 40mph in top gear, equalling about 3,000rpm. When driving through this speed the tremor was almost indistinguishable. Many miles were covered at a cruising speed of 55-60mph. In fact, this proved to be the gait at which the machine was usually driven, for it seemed effortless. Above 60mph a certain fussiness became apparent and it was considered inadvisable to hold 60-plus for any length of time. Gearchanges were made early, without any attempt to let the engine revs rise, for results were as good, if not better, if ‘top’ was engaged at just over 40mph. Although the footrests can be moved vertically the riding position cannot be varied much and those with long legs may find the pipes from the carburetters to the in-built air-cleaner rather too close to the shins. The locations of neither gear-change pedal nor brake pedal can be altered. The general degree of comfort is augmented by the use of a front-pivoted saddle with adjustable spring tension. At first the suspension was thought to be a trifle ‘firm’ although as the mileage increased the. ride softened. High-frequency bumps were unsettling, particularly to the sidecar passenger, for whom the ‘chair’ springing on cobbles and uneven stone-setts, did not always absorb the bumps. No doubt this firm riding was responsible for the taut feel of the outfit as a whole and, if the passenger did not always enjoy the vigorous manner in which the outfit could be handled, it was a delight to the driver. In spite of a body that appears slim, the width of the outfit, owing to the protruding off-side cylinder, seems wider than most. Violent cornering methods would not induce the sidecar wheel to lift—in fact, all three wheels slid before this would occur when a passenger occupied the sidecar seat. Both brakes were excellent, particularly with respect to their continued efficiency. Little adjustment was necessary and throughout the period of test the only non-standard feature was a squeak from the front drum on a wet day. Later this disappeared and left brakes which could hardly be faulted. Lights were quite adequate for the machine, the dynamo serving to keep the battery well charged. Maintenance of the BMW is absurdly simple. Ignition and lighting machinery are both housed beneath a light-alloy cover secured by two screws and are easily approached, while tappet adjustment, at the rockers, is but a matter of minutes. Both gearbox and bevel casing were checked for lubricant by removing the easily reached hexagonal caps, but required none. Perhaps some improvement is possible where the engine is concerned, for the oil-filler orifice is rather small. Other than for the specific conditions mentioned earlier, the Steib sidecar is comfortable and the luggage space good. On one particular trip, using unconventional stowing methods, a vast amount of luggage and stores were carried, Only an army pack, strapped to the locker lid, looked unusual. The windscreen deflected air effectively, and although the hood took some minutes to erect, it remained watertight. As a sporting single-seater this sidecar is admirable. Traditionally an oil-tight machine, the R67/2 maintained this tradition throughout our temporary ownership, and was displaying only two smears of lubricant when the machine was returned. These occurred at the off-side (right) gearbox cover-plate and at the juncture of the first and second main engine castings. The exhaust pipes, each blued at the sharp bend in front of the port, were the only other disfigurements to a clean and remarkably handsome machine.”

“IN 1946, VERSIONS OF a small James two-stroke, designed primarily for military use, were entered and ridden in the short, tough, one-day sporting trials developed by a post-war shortage of petrol. In competition with man-sized ohv mounts with four times the engine capacity, there seemed little likelihood that these small machines would provide serious opposition and the efforts of their riders were mainly, if not solely, directed towards the acquisition of awards in the two smaller capacity classes. Gradually, with increased power from the engines and the evolution of suitable frames, the picture has changed. Indeed, in 1951, the Travers Trophy Trial was won outright by a 200cc machine ridden by WA Lomas, who later provided the fourth best performance in the 1952 British Experts Trial. Both of these outstanding successes were on a James—in fact the 1953 ‘Commando’ is a replica of the winning mount. Added interest is given to this test by the fact that the machine on loan was a prototype, fitted with an example of the new Villiers single-lever carburetter. In this instrument, the lever providing needle variation is omitted and slow running adjustments are made by an adjuster screw located at the junction of float bowl and mixing chamber body. The 197cc Mk 6E Villiers engine-gearbox unit is, of course, a two-stroke with bore and stroke of 59x72mm. Bolted to the rear of the engine crankcase is a three-speed gearbox with trials ratios of 6.8, 11.5 and 22 to 1 with a 52-tooth rear sprocket. A 44-tooth sprocket may be fitted to give a higher cruising speed. Commando engines give slightly more power than the standard Mk 6E–9bhp at 4,000rpm with a compression ratio of 8.25 to 1 as opposed to the standard 7.25. Special sealing

is applied to waterproof the flywheel magneto. Of brazed lug construction, the frame is built to give a ground clearance of 8½in. Telescopic James front forks have two-rate springs and progressive hydraulic damping on both compression and rebound. To accommodate a 4in-section rear tyre and maintain chain clearance the engine is offset in the frame. Both wheels have 10swg spokes and Dunlop Trials Universal tyres: 21×2.75 front; 4.00×19 rear; felt seals protect the hub bearings. Trials equipment includes security bolts; polished light-alloy mudguards; a lightweight Dunlop competition saddle; a competition number plate and a high-level exhaust system. An AC direct lighting set can be fitted at an extra cost of £5 7s 10d inc PT. With the new version of the Villiers carburetter on the machine, particular interest was taken in the routine job of starting. This proved absolutely foolproof and, in the midst of the current deep-freeze no hesitation was experienced. If the choke on the air filter was closed and the float chamber filled, no more than four prods were necessary. Some four-stroking was noticed at tickover but this disappeared so soon as the throttle was opened. The choke could be opened Progressively and, with the engine warm it two-stroked efficiently. Four-stroking, with the exception of a period which occurred on-the overrun only, was pleasantly absent. James lightweights have always appeared to have the riding position of a ‘big’ machine and the Commando was no exception. Three holes are drilled in the saddle nose plate to give optional heights of 30¼, 31 and 31¾in. Footrests fit to a hexagonal bar and theoretically can be moved to any one of six positions. In fact, other considerations limit this movement and the footrests foul the footbrake if dropped below the horizontal. It is unlikely that the lower positions will be needed, for with the saddle lifted to the top notch a 6ft rider found the riding position admirable in every way. The tester has a private patch of ‘trials country’— rocks are lacking but sufficient variations on the up and down theme can be tried to discover a machine’s capabilities. Considerable falls of snow had thawed and left the deep ruts full of water. The ‘ups and downs’ were frozen but on top of the frozen mud was a thin layer of greasy clay. The first of three ‘sections’ proved an admirable test for the magneto for it was almost entirely under water for twenty yards. Deep and wide, the rut proved no navigational hazard

and once the engine had been thoroughly soaked without showing any ill effects, the next section was tried. A tight right turn across frozen ruts revealed ample lock and the ability of the engine to pull steadily in bottom gear at tick-over speeds. From the turn a steep bank had to be negotiated without any space in which to increase speed. From tickover, the throttle was snapped open to lift the machine over a steep bank. If the effort was made too early a bush, neatly positioned, tangled with the front wheel. Badly tuned or temperamental machines, particularly of small capacity, usually stall on the bank. No such indignity was suffered and the Commando lifted front wheel up and over without hesitation. A word might be said, at this juncture, concerning the facility with which the front wheel can be nailed to the ground. Short-wheelbase, two-stroke trials models are very prone to spend too much time motoring along with the front wheel in the air. It is not always possible to reduce the throttle opening to regain control and the ease with which the rider’s weight can be moved forward is decisive. Well-positioned footrests and handlebars so arranged that the rider is not ‘pulling back’ will assist materially and in this respect the machine was admirably proportioned. An ability to maintain control on a track proceeding diagonally down a steep, greasy bank is dependent on the degree of success with which a model can be steered (if ‘steering’ is a suitable description for a crabwise manoeuvre) sideways. Twice a steadying foot had to be used to hold the rear wheel in check but the third attempt was entirely successful. This was an occasion for some satisfaction, for it was the first time that the descent had been made without footing. In spite of the abrupt way in which the weight of the machine—and rider—moved on to the front wheel at the bottom of this drop, the hydraulic damping worked excellently and metallic ‘clashing’ was noticeably absent. A night run of some 80 miles finished the test and provided an opportunity to check the lighting system and brakes. For those who wish to own a general-purpose machine, suitable for both trials and the daily run, it would seem that a Commando’ fitted with the AC lighting equipment, provides the answer, for 45mph could be maintained easily at night. Both brakes dried quickly after a thorough soaking And if the front unit was a trifle spongy, it worked adequately. The footrests have a reinforcing plate, but it was felt that an even sturdier support would have been an advantage. In addition, stronger saddle springs would prevent the saddle—supporting in this case well under 12 stone—from bottoming on the mudguard occasionally. The James Commando is priced £134 3s 4d inc PT.

“THERE CAN BE NO possible doubt that the 125cc Model RE2 Royal Enfield is capable of providing useful, economical transport for most purposes—that much was amply proved by an example recently road tested by ‘Motor Cycling’. Its outstanding characteristic is light weight and because of this it can be ridden in heavy traffic with consummate ease. Naturally, with only 140lb to be handled, it can be lifted on to and off the spring-up centre stand without exertion and it is ideally suitable for pottering both in and out of town. Add to this a petroil consumption that will better 120mpg in all but the most unfavourable conditions, and it will be appreciated that the model can be described as an excellent utility mount—a description that does not in any way infer a ‘cheap’ machine, for the finish is good and the motor cycle well made. Changes have been effected to both engine and frame since the model was first designed, during the Hitler war, for use with airborne forces. Telescopic front forks have been added and a new Miller 36-watt flywheel generator with an external 6-volt car-type ignition coil replaces the earlier Miller component. The RE is an all-the-year-round model. The engine unit proved easy to start, even when air temperatures were well below freezing point, and required but three or four prods on the kick-starter. The machine is undoubtedly small and has a fixed position in which the long-legged may find the saddle too far forward or too low. An optional move either upward or backward would improve the comfort on long journeys. On the other hand, adjustment to the position of the foot-change-controlled gear pedal and to the rake of the handlebars—but not to individual handlebar controls—is easily made. Outstandingly light, the clutch frees well

and permits bottom gear to be selected without noise. Engagement is smooth and permits bottom gear to be selected without noise. A time lag of some seconds is necessary to ensure noiseless gearchanges, although those even made hastily are quite positive. Ratios are, well chosen. The lack of fourth speed is more noticeable with small-capacity engines, but the engine-torque characteristic made good this ratio deficiency in reasonable fashion. Steep hills called for second gear, but the majority of main-road inclines in anything but very hilly country could be climbed in top gear. Gear changes were made almost immediately from first to second, and top gear was selected at 25mph. Continual cruising at a speed just below 40mph is comfortable and without effort. At this road speed in top gear the machine is free from vibration—vibration is noticeably absent at all but maximum throttle openings. Exhaust noise was, at an average level, not unduly obtrusive. It is difficult to refrain from over-praising the steering and road-holding. Light and responsive, it was always quite positive and, to the maximum gait of which the machine was capable, proved more than adequate. Minimum non-snatch speed in top gear was about 13mph and the engine would accelerate from this speed on a level road without distress. Mention must be made of the twist-grip, which is not of the conventional drum type. It was smooth in operation, did not shut incontinently when released and had only a slight amount of backlash. Both brakes, of 5in. diameter, have cast-iron drums and are well above average in both sensitivity and efficiency. Hand and foot controls worked smoothly; the pedal for the rear brake is well positioned and can be operated without taking foot from the footrest. Ample light is available for night-riding; the head lamp is capable of throwing a beam far enough. and with sufficient intensity, for a road speed beyond the capabilities of the machine. A dipping switch controls beam-direction and a parking light is supplied from a small proprietary dry battery in the head lamp. This turned out to he the only piece of electrical equipment which failed during the test. Normal top-overhaul can be done with the petrol tank undisturbed. When the cylinder barrel is to be removed, the tank bolts will have to be taken out and the tank lifted an inch. Routine maintenance jobs are few and quickly done. Contact-breaker adjustment is made via a small cover-plate in the generator housing secured by two screws. The gearbox is filled through a small plug on the near side; a wing-nut adjusts the rear brake and a knurled screw and locknut is provided for the front brake. While the lack of a rubber cover to the kick-starter is not important, a cover to the gear-change control would increase the rider’s comfort when operating the pedal and reduce the risk of damage to shoes.”

“TO CORRECT ANY MISAPPREHENSION that may arise concerning the opinions of those responsible for DMW motor cycles with regard to the use of a spring frame in trials, it may be advisable to preface this report by stating that a rigid-frame competition machine is manufactured and available to those who feel that better results in typical. ‘one-day’ events may be obtained without the suspension unit. Rear springing does, however, improve the usefulness of the Competition DMW in events of longer duration and, as an all-round sporting motor cycle, the Model 45 may be cited as a very satisfactory compromise. The factory is proud of its successes in both International and Scottish Six Day trials and it is for this type of event that the spring machine is intended. The basic details of the machine are as follow: square tube is used for the frame, which is of all-welded construction. Tests have shown that an increase in torsional stiffness, particularly in the rear section, has been obtained without the disadvantage of increased weight. The MP suspension units are coil-spring-plunger boxes carried in brackets welded to the rear stays. High-tensile steel tubes are used for the MP telescopic front forks, which have rubber gaiters to give protection to the sliding surfaces. Both magneto and carburetter of the 59x72mm, 197cc Villiers 6E engine are protected against water by rubber seals. Felt seals are fitted to the journal bearings of the front and rear hubs; intended primarily to retain lubricant. they should materially assist in excluding water. The engine is offset in the frame to give clearance, of course, for the 4.00in-section rear tyre which is standard equipment. Lightweight mudguards, with adequate clearance, and a high-level exhaust pipe form part of the specification. Two sets of gear ratios are available with the Villiers gearbox, which is bolted to the crankcase and forms a single unit with the engine. Some increase in power is forthcoming if a special cylinder head, giving a compression ratio of 8.25:1, is fitted; this is not part of the ‘trials’ specification, but is offered as an option on new machines. Most of those ingredients necessary for a sporting trial can be found on Penn Common, near Wolverhampton. A stream, rutted mud, steep banks and narrow gullies are all available. Towards this area, DMW sales manager, Arthur Frost, headed, followed by tester and photographer. Arthur Frost’s machine has been used in every type of sporting event for over 12 months without overhaul. In spite of this, it still galloped along remarkably well, giving nothing away to the newer machine following. In conjunction with the 4.00in rear tyre the suspension at the rear proved almost luxurious on main roads. An opportunity to sample the brakes before they were submerged in water proved them to be effective and needing only reasonable pressure of hand or foot. Even with the large rear tyre excessive zeal with the foot brake

provoked rear wheel skids. The machine’s light weight and ‘handleability’ enabled any resulting slide to be coped with immediately. A muddy, rutted lane with cross gullies, rocks and an occasional-deep hole formed the approach road to the sections, and this could be traversed almost as fast as the rider wished, once accustomed to a steady spray of water from the front wheel. In the interests of maximum efficiency and minimum unsprung weight. the front mudguard is attached to the fork crown and does not move with the wheel. Although no disadvantage while in a section and proceeding slowly, this arrangement was rather disconcerting when travelling quickly in a muddy lane. Six distinct hazards were identified; the first involved 50 yards of the stream and a climb out of the water along a narrow path. Two attempts were necessary before complete success was attained. For some reason, the decompressor appeared to exert more than usual control on the rear wheel; possibly the discharge orifice is smaller than average. Whatever the reason, it was possible to trickle slowly down a greasy track and turn into a narrow opening with full confidence and well in control. The steering lock is more than adequate and was no excuse, other than bad navigation, for running out of room on a turn. At 47in the wheelbase is remarkably short and this, in conjunction with an engine possessing good torque at low speeds, is apt to assist the front wheel in any effort towards aviation. An excellent riding position. helps to bring this under control and, indeed, in some circumstances, the ease with which the front wheel can be lifted may prove an advantage. No large rock steps were available to test the theory, but many such sections come to mind. It is difficult to envisage a machine more suitable to those tricky, tight sections colloquially described as ‘nadgery’. A short wheel-base, good lock and an indefinable quality of ‘balance’ take all the hard work out of this type of hazard. Feet were brought into operation on several occasions during the attempts on the last—and most difficult—of the six test pieces. An approach through the stream had to he made at a speed as high as possible to the patch of soft mud at the entrance to a gully between two steep banks. Low speed attempts failed with wheelspin and were abortive. A brief wall-of-death turn at the top of the stream’s bank was essential if fast runs were made. Twice complete success was within reach, but just evaded the tester who was forced to foot out of trouble. During one excursion at too high a speed, the machine was left at the bank top and the journey continued alone. Suitable footwork at the vital moment enabled non-stop climbs to be made, but the final polish that spelt complete success was too elusive. Both brakes dried quickly after their continued immersion and were ‘back-to-strength’ before the main road was reached. During the afternoon the engine had not faltered once and on those occasions when restarts had to be made, balanced at awkward angles on nothing but a six-inch muddy track, it responded without delay. Well made and of sturdy appearance the Model 4S is bound to enjoy popularity in its class.”

“THE NAME OF INNOCENTI is held in high esteem by the scooter-minded population of the Continent, and rightly so, for the rugged little Lambretta, produced by that Milanese concern, offers both economy and dependability, coupled with somewhat restrained good looks which distinguish it from the more flamboyant of its species. Marketed in this country by Lambretta Concessionaires Ltd, of 64 High Street, Epsom. Surrey, a model LD Lambretta has recently been tested by members of ‘Motor Cycling’s’ staff. The machine is built round a single, large-diameter tubular backbone which forms an open frame and seat mount. To this is welded a tube of similar dimensions, bent at right-angles, to form the engine cradle and rear-springing pivot, with welded outriggers to support the bodywork. The rider is protected by a pressed-steel front apron and footboard designed to give comprehensive weather protection, while the ‘engine-room’ and rear wheel are enclosed by easily detachable side panels, each of which is held in place by rubber-sheathed flutings at its edges and secured by a lever at the rear. The well-tried 123cc two-stroke engine of 52x58mm has an iron cylinder and alloy head. The unit construction crankcase and gearbox assembly extends rearwards to form the arm which carries the rear stub axle and encloses the shaft final drive. The primary drive is by bevel gears. The whole of this assembly pivots about an anchorage under the front of the crankcase and is sprung by means of a torsion bar situated beneath the gearbox and operated through a robust linkage system. Rubber buffers prevent contact between the engine and frame. Forced-cooling is employed, air being impelled round the cowled cylinder by means of a fan on the Marelli flywheel magneto. Cooling grilles are situated in the leading edge of each side panel, air scoops of die-cast light alloy being

optional extras. Undamped helical springs form the suspension media of the trailing-link front forks, the mechanism being encased in neat covers. A generously proportioned front mudguard is fitted with a conventional ‘English-type’ front number plate. Both wheels arc of 8in. diameter carrying 4in. Michelin, Dunlop or Pirelli tyres; rims are quickly detachable and interchangeable, a fact which renders the spare wheel and tyre (an optional extra) doubly useful. With the exception of the rear-brake pedal, which protrudes through the right footboard, all the controls arc situated on the handle-bars. The gear-change is operated by a twist-grip—with integral clutch lever—on the left, while the front brake lever and throttle twist-grip are conventionally accommodated on the right. Conveniently placed near the right thumb is the ‘switch box’ which incorporates the light switch, cut-out and horn button. Access to the-three-position fuel tap and Dell’Orto carburetter, which has a built-in sludge-trap fuel filter, is gained through a hinged, spring-loaded flap in the right-hand panel. With the carburetter flooded and the choke closed, usually no more than two prods at the kickstarter were necessary to bring the engine to life, once the technique of using the small pedal had been acquired. Fortunately this did not take long, for clumsy kicking resulted in the ankle rapping sharply on the footboard. On the road the machine behaved extremely well. Familiarity with the combined clutch and twist-grip gearchange came quickly, though some difficulty in locating second gear was experienced at the outset. The clutch itself is commendably light and considerable riding in traffic proved no hardship for the left hand. A couple of miles sufficed to accustom the rider to the feel of the machine, and steering and suspension were so good that it could be well heeled over on corners with confidence. Even greasy cobbles and wood blocks required no more respect than when on a normal motorcycle. The 5in. internal-expanding front brake felt rather spongy and it was found to be preferable to use the 5½in rear anchor, which was both smooth and powerful and which, combined with the weight distribution, gave thoroughly satisfactory retardation. Before the Lambretta had 250 miles on the clock a 100-mile night journey in freezing conditions was undertaken, with the roomy leg-shield pannier—a most useful extra—filled to capacity and a weighty gladstone bag secured to the rear luggage carrier. Under the prevailing weather conditions, the normally excellent windscreen proved to be a mixed blessing for while it served admirably as a windbreak, its surface soon became frosted and it could not be lowered sufficiently to allow the 5ft 6in. rider to see comfortably over the top. However, the apron, which extends the

whole width of the handlebars, provided welcome protection for the hands. A celluloid panel is provided in the apron where it covers the headlamp, but the latter, fed by the flywheel generator, offered far from satisfactory illumination for night touring and considerably limited the cruising speed on winding roads. Nevertheless, on straight, level stretches a nocturnal cruising speed of 35-40mph could be maintained with ease, and an overall average of 23.5mph was achieved. The maximum speed obtained was 45mph. Owing to the necessity for maintaining plenty of revs to provide current for the headlight, and because it was not always possible to get up sufficient speed before tackling a gradient, second gear had to be selected early on any hill worthy of the name; but once the middle cog was engaged, 20-25mph could be sustained without stress. Pulling power in top gear was good, but it was found that the increase in the liveliness of the engine made driving more pleasant if second gear was used at a relatively high road speed. Petrol consumption for the journey was excellent, working out at almost 100mpg despite the drag caused by the large windscreen and shielding—and the excellent protection they afford is adequate compensation. Moreover, they do not render the machine unmanageable, even in gusty winds. The exhaust note tends to be noisy, though not unpleasant. On the other hand, the electric horn’s note could be stronger and more tuneful with advantage. Another drawback is the absence of a parking light—surprising in view of the fact that the Lambretta is primarily a town machine. However, despite the few shortcomings which have been mentioned, it left the rider with the impression that it is a most comfortable and enjoyable scooter to ride, and one which can inspire both enthusiasm and affection.”

“ALTHOUGH SEVERAL EXAMPLES of American lightweight and medium-weight machines have been built by the two concerns with which the U.S. motorcycle industry is generally associated in the minds of British riders—the Indian and the Harley-Davidson—the popular conception of an American motorcycle is that of a big, husky V-twin in which everything is of the most massive. There is, however, a third make which enjoys considerable popularity across the Atlantic—particularly on the West side—and it is very different from the traditional US model. The machine is known as the Mustang and was originally produced in 1947. It is now built by Mustang Motorcycle Corp of Glendale, California, in a factory which extends over several acres. It is a type of machine in which simplicity receives considerable emphasis and with certain reservations, its design could find favour in British eyes, for it is rugged and well-made and requires very little in the way of maintenance. It would appear to occupy a place somewhere between the scooter and the normal motorcycle and is stated to weigh about 210lb in full trim. The engine incorporates a number of novel and interesting features. A British-built Burman 3-speed gearbox is an item in the specification of the Mustang as also is a glass-bowl type fuel filter. The engine has cylinder and crankcase cast en-bloc. Oil-controlled, telescopic front forks of very simple construction are employed. The handle-bars, which are non-adjustable, are welded to the tops of the fork legs. A well-shaped saddle-tank of approximately 2 gallons is fitted, the capacity of the oil sump being two quarts. Disc wheels carrying 12x4in balloon tyres are fitted. To the rear wheel is bolted a casting which does duty as brake drum and

sprocket, both front and rear hubs being supported on taper-roller bearings. Normally there is only one brake is fitted, but a front brake is standard on the Special ’75’ model and is available as an extra on the ordinary machine. Instead of brake shoes the facing is riveted to the outer surface of a spring steel hand, one end of which is anchored to a fixed point. the other to a spindle which is rotated by a brake arm in the conventional manner. At a point midway along its periphery the band is located by a pin and a single tension spring is hooked between a lip formed in the band and an anchorage on the reaction plate to hold the brake in the off’ position. As the brake is applied the spindle rotates and the band is expanded to press the facing against the drum. According to a road test carried out by a member of the Alhambra Police Department, a ‘Special’ Mustang was stopped from 25mph in 21ft with both brakes and in 39ft with the rear brake only. The police report quotes acceleration from a standstill as: 30mph, 8sec; 48mph, 15sec; 60mph, 22sec. Maximum speed 64mph, the total weight of machine and rider being 404lb. The cruising speed was given as 50-55mph. In the machine used by the police tester a racing camshaft was fitted and compression ratio was 6.5:1. A power output of 10.5bhp at 5,000rpm was quoted. In view of the fact that the Mustang was primarily designed for utility use, quite a sensation was caused at the end of last year when a specially modified model was reported to have registered 100mph in a speed trial held by the Glendale MC at Rosamond Dry Lakes. In the machine used, the capacity of the engine was increased to 22.5in³ (approximately 400cc). A cylinder head machined out of solid Dural was fitted and a combination of methanol and 40% nitro was employed as fuel. A lower handlebar mounting was used and the rider adopted a prone position, lying on a specially constructed platform. Wire-spoke wheels were substituted for the disc type.”

“SURELY THE MOST CURIOUS ‘bitza’ ever built is the ‘Little Jewel’. At a first glance it looks anything but a practical machine but, when the circumstances surrounding its construction are borne in mind, even the most captious critic will raise his hat to its ‘inventor’ for his ingenuity and enthusiasm. The ‘Little Jewel’ was actually built on the Korean front—within 2,000yds of the enemy. Its constructor is a GI named Don Backstrand and it was through his friend, HC Simon, of Allied Motorcycle Sales and Service, Portland, Oregon, that the details reached us. Mr Simon writes than Don was a motor cycle enthusiast for many years, and when he was sent overseas he just couldn’t be without a machine. In a surprisingly short time he had created the ‘Little Jewel’, the frame of which was made out of Jeep hood ‘sticks’. The fork springs were originally recoil springs in 90mm cannon, and the engine began work as an auxiliary generator in a tank; the sprockets were filed by hand from plain steel blanks. The engine has no throttle control and Backstrand relied on a magneto cut-out button to control the speed which, he reported, provided quite a thrill, for the model would do up to 30mph. The ‘Little Jewel’ is still giving good service on the Korean front in the hands of the ‘buddies’ to whom Don bequeathed it when his overseas tour terminated and he returned home to America.”

“SPECTATORS AT THE Scarborough Grand National last July will remember that there appeared a 197cc Francis-Barnett that was both swift and extremely non-standard. Its rider, Brian Andrew, son of Scarborough’s famous Ted Andrew, was well in the picture in his class until a breakdown in the gearbox caused his retirement. The mount was built by Pat Wagstaffe, in Ted Andrew’s workshops, and it began life as a standard ‘Falcon’ with a rigid frame. The rear chain stays were cut and bent upwards, as were the seat stays, the two sets of members being joined on either side of the rear wheel by steel plates, which also form the top anchorages for the hydraulic suspension units…The rear fork is a standard Francis-Barnett unit, modified and strengthened. Bronze bushes pressed into the fork members pivot on a hardened-steel sleeve which is held stationary between the pivot anchorage plates by a long bolt passing through from one side to the other. The suspension units are of early AJS 7R type, with suitable springs fitted. The variation in chain tension is negligible and the wheelbase was shortened by 1³⁄₁₆in. Friction dampers are used on the front forks and an André-pattern Manx Norton steering damper was also fitted, with an anchorage secured to the tank-top. Wide-clearance mudguards, a raised exhaust system, a dual-seat and sundry lightening and weather-protecting operations concluded the construction and this scrambler Francis-Barnett plays a dual role: with its speedometer and QD lighting equipment, it may also be used as a touring or ride-to work machine.”

“ONCE again the plea is renewed to all vehicle owners to fit suppressors at their own expense. Television has been subsidised by sound radio for some years, partly with money which could have gone into improving sound radio. Why, then, should I pay more money for a service in. which I am not the least interested? Let the television enthusiasts subscribe for the free distribution of suppressors to motorists—that much-maligned section of the community which already bears too great a burden of taxation.
RL DARLEY, Chatham, Kent.”

“THE UNFORTUNATE POSITION of the British so-called racing motorcycle has been caused by what may aptly described as ‘TT-mania’. Unquestioning subservience to road racing, and unjustifiably restrictive regulations, have prevented even a 125cc machine from being given full bore for more than a few seconds at a time (there is just nowhere where it can be done), and have effectively barred the post-war exploration, in this country, of every possible means of improving engine performance, which is the major technical object of racing. It is, therefore, hardly to be wondered at that: (1) British aspirants to world records must go abroad for their attempts. (2) They are, consequently, few in number, seldom successful, and even then only in relatively easy and unimportant brackets. (3) All solo and sidecar kilo and mile records, both flying and standing start (the important and difficult ones) are held by foreign machines. (4) A 250cc Guzzi (with sidecar) recorded, quite recently, kilo and mile speeds exceeding those ever officially recorded by any British solo of up to 750cc, or machines with sidecar of any capacity. (5) No British machine of any capacity has equalled the current 350cc solo kilo and mile records held by a German NSU. The negative advertisement value of this has, of course, been duly noted abroad, to the discredit of our industry. The blame for this state of affairs must be shared by the governing body, the manufacturers (of cars also), and that portion of the technical Press afflicted with ‘TT-itis’. For the first and last there is no excuse. The manufacturers, however, would appear to have been seduced by the soporific ‘seller’s market'” which has existed since the last war. This, however, no longer exists, and puerile advertisements which one continually sees displayed will have to be replaced by something with greater appeal to the overseas buyer, to whom world’s records are sales talk. At present he is buying increasingly from Germany and Italy, where a more balanced outlook has furthered the racing development necessary for their machines to occupy the majority of the important brackets in the records list. The combination of an unprejudiced and technically informed Press with the financial resources of this country’s motor and motor cycle manufacturers could, undoubtedly, ensure a suitable ‘all-out’ track, which would help to restore h present unbalance in motor cycle (and car) racing.
LWE HARTLEY, London, SEI8.”

“SWISS MOTORCYCLISTS, through their national federation, are taking practical steps to tackle the problem of exhaust noise. Maybe the shrill cry of the scooter has become too incessant among the Alps of late, but however that may be, we think the idea a good one. The FMS has set up a committee to organise a concours at which different types of silencer will be thoroughly tested, and the military and other authorities are co-operating…36 entries have been received for the trial. It will occupy two days and promises to yield some useful information. Many years have elapsed since such an event was organised in this country, apart from the tests carried out on the occasion of the A-CU’s cyclemotor demonstration last summer. On the whole, present-day motor cycles are much quieter than they were in the mid-wars period and this welcome change was particularly noticeable during last week-end’s MCC Exeter Trial. A Motor Cycling reporter, calling for petrol at an all-night garage on the route, was told by the proprietor that, in regard to exhaust noise, quite a change has come over the event: ‘The motor cycles are very much quieter than many of the cars, particularly the sports models. In earlier days it was the other way about.’ We should not, however, be too complacent: there is still plenty of room for improvement, especially on the latest brand of high-performance two-stroke.”

“ALL MOTOR CYCLES registered on after July 1 1953 must be equipped with suppressors designed to reduce electrical interference with television reception. But the law is not retrospective and hundreds of thousands of vehicles will remain on the roads for many years to come, so its beneficial effect cannot be fully achieved for a very considerable period. The Postmaster-General has expressed the polite hope that motorists not required to do so by law will voluntarily fix suppressors to their vehicles at their own expense. This suggestion will undoubtedly be resented by many motor cyclists, who may reasonably ask why they should be expected to pay for the convenience of another section of the community. We hope, however, that they will accept the plea in a sporting spirit—motor cyclists have the opportunity to set an example of ‘good neighbourliness’ which will ultimately reflect to their credit. Motorcycle dealers, too, could make a valuable contribution towards public goodwill by fitting suppressors to all used machines offered by them for sale. The gesture should be well worth the very small cost involved.”

“SUPPRESSION IS AN UGLY WORD, but used to define a method of preventing interference with radio and television reception by motor cycle and car electrical equipment, it represents, in the opinion of many, a step forward. It is a move which, if my guess is not far wrong, will be accepted with reasonable goodwill by most road users—even though, at heart, many believe that the wireless and television people should, themselves, make some provision to avoid outside electrical interference. Some people, including the writer, made a first acquaintance with suppressor equipment when the Army discovered that MT activity upset the work of wireless operators. And so we all had to interpose in our HT lead a little black tube device with screw-ends. The purpose in life of the black tube was a mystery, but inquiry showed that it acted as a resistance, which explained the symbol it carried, ie, 10,000-15,000Ω indicates the resistance measured in ohms. Motor Cycling’s recent tests have been carried out with magneto-equipped motor cycles in which suppressors at distributor spark-over points, obviously, would have been inapplicable. But, bearing in mind the Lucas dictum, a series of modem-pattern suppressors, introduced into the HT leads of a staff machine at varying distances between the pick-up and the plug points, have been used, and, in all cases, it has appeared that the result has been beneficial—from the radio point of view. Engine performance is quite unaffected.”

“ON A WINTER’S NIGHT—that of Boxing Day, to be precise—43 years ago, the MCC held its first Exeter Trial which started from the Bell Hotel, Hounslow, and returned there covering, in the meantime, just over 320 miles. The event thus inaugurated has remained the classic winter trial, for either cars or motorcycles, in Britain ever since, the series being interrupted only by such over-shadowing calamities as wars and fuel restriction. The first post Hitler-war ‘Exeter’ was delayed until 1949, when 90 competitors entered to cope with the then very-filleted course totalling but 60 miles. In the year following, a full-length trial was reinstated and in 1951 entries had risen to 119 motor cycles and 144 cars. Strictly speaking, 1952 did not have an ‘Exeter’ because the subsequent event took place on Friday and Saturday last, January 2 and 3, and should thus be regarded as the 1953 model. The entry was excellent: 159 solos, sidecars and three-wheelers (note for old hands with long memories—no Morgan ‘tricycle’ appeared in the programme, thus creating a record!) and 166 cars comprised a list of runners 325 strong representing the best post-war support so far. As before, there were three starting points for the 164-mile course—from Guyver’s Garage, Rother Street, Stratford-on-Avon; from a new venue, Old Sheep Market, Launceston; and from the Wheatsheaf Hotel, Virginia Water, the last being regarded as the London end. Common starting time was 10pm Friday. From Stratford, 28 solos, five sidecars and a solitary Reliant three-wheeler were due to start, while 20 solos and a brace of ‘chairs’ had selected Launceston for take-off. Actually 31 left Stratford and 21 started from Launceston. As might have been expected, the most popular starting point was the Wheatsheaf Hotel, with its quota of 77 solos, 24 sidecars and two three-wheelers, of which number only a mere five failed to sign on. The Army participation in the trial, first apparent in 1939, as an officially approved training ‘op’ was keen, and soldier after soldier, commissioned and other ranks, took starter’s orders, although a mild excitement occurred early in the evening when the WD fuel issue vehicle failed to turn up (it eventually arrived, having been to the wrong ‘Wheatsheaf’). No Exeter, of course, would have been complete without that veteran Harley-Davidson sidecar driver, RW. Praill, who

was there with his 10-year-old ohv ’61’ transatlantic outfit of 1,000cc. At the other end of the ‘chair’ range was SH Goddard and his little 200cc Sun-Villiers combination. Of the two three-wheelers starting from London, one was a 21-year-old twin BSA and the other a 200cc Mark B Bond ‘Minicar’—the first occasion that one of these vehicles has competed. And so the London end of the Exeter Trial got under way, on dry roads and with a bite in the air. From here, and from the other starting points, competitors followed routes, each approximately 130 miles long, to converge upon Honiton, in Devon. For the London contingent, followed by one of Motor Cycling’s reporters, there were patches of ground mist between Basingstoke and the half-way check at Wylye, and a certain amount of frost and ice on the roads. Less than 10 miles from Honiton came the first of the trial’s observed climbs, of Pin Hill, lying to the west of the Sidmouth road. Pin Hill, actually, although long and steep, with two sharp corners near its summit, has a good hard surface and sufficient width to enable even the three-wheeler ‘die-hards’ to make a perfect ascent. The only motor cyclist seen to fail was RJ Kelly (125 BSA), who subsequently dismounted and ran alongside his little machine. AI Bailey and RC Hicks romped up on their 125cc Douglas-Vespa runabouts and SH Goddard’s little sidecar outfit never looked like failing. L/Cpl J Stimpson, one of the several Army competitors, made a perfect ascent, despite the fact that his M20 BSA was without lights, and RHH James managed to keep his feet up while trying to nurse an overheated plug in his 125cc Excelsior. E Travers (500 Rudge sc) set the pattern for a run of clean sidecar ascents. Fortified by breakfast, served, in accordance with tradition, at Deller’s Cafe, and with the night run officially concluded, ‘No 1’, RF Lake (500 Vincent) headed the procession towards Dartmoor, leaving the Devon capital at 6am still in darkness. At Crockernwell A30 was relinquished and a left turn sent competitors following direction cards through narrow lanes to the famous moorland beauty spot, Fingle Bridge. Darkness was just fading and the three-quarter moon was dipping behind the shoulder of the

hill when Motor Cycling’s man arrived to find that already a score or so of early numbers had made their ascents, with varying degrees of success…Loose stones and a certain amount of leafmould on the otherwise dry surface caused stoppages for 2nd Lt RFF Lane, Gnr PN Waters and L/Cpl J Godstone (all 350 Matchlesses), L/Cpl J Stimpson (500 BSA), Pte D Ricketts (500 BSA), and Gnr J. Stone (350 Matchless). By now the sun had replaced the moon and though it was cold watching, the scene, in the clear morning light, was enchanting. Only the scents of summer flowers and heather were lacking and to make up for these A Putman (500 Rudge) drenched the woods with the pungent odour of ‘Castrol R’. The first sidecar to essay the climb was a 500AJS in the hands of DS Campbell. A little less pressure in the rear tyre might have helped him to find more wheelgrip. Using one of the old spring-steel-type chassis on his 500 Rudge, E Travers made a very good showing, and then came that MCC stalwart, RW Praill. After some difficulty in getting away from the starting line he swept round the first bend in spectacular style, but his huge engine had more power than the rear wheel could cope with and the mighty combination stopped half-way up the hill. A very good climb indeed came from PGM Harris (1,000 Vincent sc) and JH Hodge (500 Ariel sc) was also noted as excellent. When it was his turn to try the climb SH Goddard found that he needed to adjust the clutch of his Sun-Villiers outfit, which had already suffered a severe buffeting when a collision occurred with a cow during the night on Salisbury plain. Using standard touring outfits, WE Rose (” Norton Dominator sc) and MG Newton (500 Triumph sc) both showed onlookers how it should be done. Via Moretonhampstead, the route led to Waterworks Hill, a narrow, greasy trench-like little path running up a bank beside the dam of a reservoir. Half-way up the track was a stop-and-restart test which was not by any means easy. Then, in another nine miles, through Bovey Tracey and llsington, came that hoary ‘Exeter’ terror, Simms Hill. Except for a smearing of mud on the approaching right-hand sweep there was a dry path all the way up but even so, many competitors found the steep gradient too much for them, especially as each ascent had to be made from a standing start. The crowd was early treated to some excitement when the sidecars arrived. First Harris tore up on his Vincent and all but tipped over backwards when the sidecar body parted from its front securing bolts and reared upwards. But, as one man in perfect unison, driver and passenger threw their weight forward and brought down the aviating coachwork, to continue ‘clean’ to the summit. The only other ‘chair’ driver to bring off an unpenalised climb was Hodge and he and his passenger up-turned the outfit just as they reached the end of the section. Among the general run of the solos the standard of riding varied considerably—from the polished ‘flat-in-two’ attack of the ‘comp model’ rider to the nervously hesitant attempt of the obvious first-timer. That is a feature of the ‘Exeter’ to which all regular spectators are accustomed. But few, it is imagined, were prepared for the ‘fireworks’ provided by the two Douglas-Vespa riders. First, with a calico-tearing scream reminiscent of a Gilera ‘four’ came AJ Bailey. Round the. first bend he swept at tremendous

speed and was going like the proverbial ‘clappers’ when his small front wheel slid away on a patch of mould and he had to foot vigorously to keep upright. Hardly had the lookers-on ceased their cheers for a splendid non-stop effort than RC Hicks flashed into view, his 125cc engine turning over at an even greater rate. With the front wheel making only occasional contact with the ground and the rear end snickering from side to side like the tail of an agitated drake, the little runabout rocketed upwards and no better clean climb of Simms was seen that day. From here the route began its homeward trek, with Strete’s Hill, near Ottery St Mary, tackled next and then Knowle Lane, three miles out of Bridport.Strete’s is about a quarter of a mile long, running up the side of a wooded hill and getting steeper towards the top. An easy left sweep halfway up required little negotiation; newcomers, particularly the sidecars, found thawed-out greasy conditions that called for a gentle throttle hand to prevent wheelspin…H Mawson, casually smoking a cigarette, took his 350 AJS up in exemplary fashion, and JH Hodge again came out amongst the best of the ‘barrow boys’. Of the entry from the Army not all showed equal skill, but all tackled the exercise with admirable determination. Some, it was thought, might have done better with a little less air in the tyres, for they were afflicted with wheelspin unusually early in the proceedings. L /Cpl A Jobb (350 Matchless) was perhaps best of the team from. the 6th Bn RAOC, and L/Cpl JSH Bray (350 Matchless), from the same unit, got a cheer from the crowd. At Creekmoor, seven miles out of Bournemouth, came the final time check, and thence it was straightforward going to the finish at Bournemouth’s Grand Hotel and the end of one of the pleasantest ‘Exeters’ ever held, and certainly the kindest from the weather point of view.”

MOTOR CYCLING STALWART Bernal Osborne described the ‘post war’ dream bike he’d designed 10 years earlier with his flatmate Bob Sayer: “Bob was a skilled engineer and both of us were motorcyclists. The friendship continues to-day. ‘Young Bob’ is my godson—that is the way of things…Sayer, when his room-mate had finally gone Armywards, actually made a number of patterns and castings. Three years afterwards they were destroyed by a Hitler rocket…the Sayer-Osborne idea demanded almost complete supersession of then existing British motor-cycle design—not just for the sake of being clever, but for the reason that (so we thought at the time) if the motor cycle was to endure, it would have to sever its long relationship with the bicycle…The engine, planned as a 500cc would have to he efficient, simple and compact. Bob had a soft spot for the slogging-quality plus high-speed performance of the Ford V8. So we mentally chopped one in halves and made a V4…Details of the 90° engine should include mention of the almost-square bore-and-stroke dimensions (about 52x57mm), giving low piston speed at the fairly high rpm envisaged as being forthcoming from the well-designed (we thought at the time and still do) side-valve-type combustion chamber. We adopted a fine idea, that of the hydraulic tappet, promising ourselves a measure of mechanical silence hitherto undreamed of in the motor cycle world…The frame was visualised as a structure of light-gauge welded pressings. Cross-sections of the various channel, and box, frame components are shown in Sayer’s side-elevation drawing. The lower frame section is designed to be jointed and detachable at points ‘A’ and ‘B’ and, with it, can be withdrawn the entire engine-gearbox unit. Frontally the top, main pressings are riveted and welded à la Zündapp or Coventry-Eagle and accommodated in a central petrol tank recess is a battery and glove, or tool, cubby…Though the phrase had hardly been coined in 1941, dual-seat equipment of an advanced type was featured. Let the ‘moderns’ note that here we had no rubber-covered metal pressing, but individually sprung front and rear seats, made as a unit, for rider and passenger. How could either of us have known in 1941 that within the span of a decade the majority of British manufacturers would have relinquished rigid frames and that, in some cases, after a trial period with plunger springing, they would rift over to the swinging-fork theme, not only in Britain but in the BMW ‘fabrik’ at Munich too…the telescopic fork vogue was destined to sweep the world like wild-fire so soon as hostilities were finished. Working without that knowledge, Bob and Co sought something even better than the only telescopic fork of which they had knowledge—that of the BMW. The result of much cogitation…the forks are pressings, rigidly mounted and forming a lower pivot point for swinging-link arms…Then we ” clad the thing, and, having no precedent as a guide, I think we rather overdid the enclosure business. Perhaps we drew unduly on the Francis-Barnett ‘cruiser’, a model of which I then happened to own. Note the ‘turn-screws’ used to secure the tail, the engine bonnets and’ exterior tank panels…”

HUGH PALIN BECAME director of the Manufacturer’s Union which is still in business as the Motorcycle Industry Association. He was still in post when he and I were invited to Newcastle for a Tyne-Tees TV panel on motor cycle safety. As we were sitting with a local dealer and a BMF rep waiting for the star, a make-up girl scurried over to Hugh to pat some powder on his bonce, which was reflecting the studio lights (fair enough, Hugh had as much hair on his head then as I do now, which is very little). But, noting that he was sitting ‘to attention’ she gushed “Now then Hugh, no need to be nervous!” He was too well mannered to tell her off but it’s a pity she hadn’t read the Green ‘Un’s 1953 report on the new MU boss: “To begin with he is just 40 and was destined for a career in the insurance world. [He] was still studying for his final examinations when the war broke out. He had then been a Territorial, in the Westminster Dragoons, for a matter of a couple of years, and after being called up as soon as hostilities broke out, he served in the Royal Tank Regiment, being demobilised in the autumn of 1945. His duties took him to North Africa as well as Western Europe, and he was awarded the MBE for services in the field with an armoured brigade in the Normandy landings, leaving the Army with the rank of major. He still serves, however, in the Territorial Army, being, in fact, second-in-command of the Warwickshire Yeomanry.”

CANADIAN SPIKE RHIANDO, who is making an attempt to ride from Algiers to Capetown in record time on a Scootamobile, a semi-enclosed scooter of his own design and construction, is believed to he somewhere in the Sahara. In a letter to his wife he reported that all was well during his two-day run from Le Touquet to Marseilles, though the weather had been bad and he was delayed at Marseilles through grounded aircraft. He expected to he away to Algiers in the early part of last week.”

“AS AFRICA’S PREMIER motorcycle classic, the PE 200 ended at Port Elizabeth, South Africa, on New Year’s Day, with three new track records established, the consensus of opinion among nearly 30,000 spectators was that the experiment of running three 72-mile scratch races, instead of the former 144-mile handicap, event, had been a big success. A good deal of the credit for that success must go to 37-year-old Borro Castellani from Nigel, Northern Transvaal. The tough, veteran speed ace, who was once termed a ‘real wild man of the track’ but who, in fact, is a courageous and skilful rider, brought thousands of fans to their feet as he more than made up for his own bad luck. Castellani, a building contractor who has been a top-flight racing man for more than 15 years and is probably South Africa’s most spectacular performer, built up a big lead of something like half a minute in the first, eight-lap, 72-mile event, which was for 350cc machines. In one rip-roaring lap, tilting his 7R AJS low on the corners and trailing his left foot, he set up a new 350cc class record for the famous 9-mile WM Gray Circuit, with a 5min 48sec lap, equal to an average speed of 93.10mph. For more than 65

miles he was well ahead of the other 25 men in the event. Then, in the last lap, his engine unaccountably petered out. He got his machine re-started but only after losing so many precious minutes that he finally came in 12th. But the crowd had not seen the last of the ‘Man from Nigel’. In the last of the three races, the 500cc contest, he was off like a flash on his ‘Featherbed’ Norton, and 29 other contestants were soon strung out behind him. Again he established a new track record, at 99.69mph. Then he rode home an easy winner, having completed the 72 miles in 44min. The crowd roared his name, the autograph hunters blocked his path and then, revealing his genuine modesty, this grinning, black-haired veteran of the track. who rode second in the PE 200 in 1952, retired behind the pits until called to the winners’ booth. He had beaten the two reigning joint national champions of the 500cc class—3I-year-old Rudy Allison of Johannesburg’s Phoenix Club and grey-haired George Anderson of Cape Town, brother-in-law of South Africa’s overall speed champion, Vic Procter—who had battled hard for second place, right to the finish when Anderson managed to build up a slight lead over his friend and rival. Another reigning champion, 27-year-old garage proprietor ‘Boet’ Ferreira, also a member of the Phoenix Club, Johannesburg, who has topped the lightweight class lists in South Africa for the past three years, sped 72 miles to victory in the 250cc event. Though he has more than 25 victories to his credit, Ferreira has never previously raced in the ‘200’, but he seemed confident from the start and had soon set a new lap record for 250s at an average of 81.61mph on his 18-year-old Velocette. Behind Ferreira, in second place in the 250cc race, came his clubmate Eddie Grant, also on a Velocette, winner of last year’s ‘200’. Grant lost a foot-rest on the fifth lap and put the brake pedal out of action. Then, on the sixth lap, his front mudguard started coming apart, and he had to stop to remove it. By then Doug Holmes, also from Johannesburg, had passed him, on another Velocette, but Grant managed to get back into second

place before the end of the race. The two who came in immediately after Holmes had fully earned their places. Dennis Spencer, 28-year-old motor mechanic, well-known in Natal hill-climb events, had turned New Year’s Eve into a busman’s holiday by battling, with his two pit attendants, Vic Mobey and Ted Lucey, to get his four-year-old Velocette into shape, following big-end trouble. All three were up almost all night before the race fitting replacement parts borrowed from Ferreira. Behind Spencer, 57-year-old Frank Cope, second oldest man in the race and Britain’s only representative, came in fifth. The 350cc race, in which Castellani relinquished the lead as a result of engine trouble, was won by 30-year-old East London engineer Henry Theron who has been in every PE 200 since the war. After the race, Theron said: ‘I was doing my damnedest to reach Castellani. My gear slipped out while I was changing-up at the end of the Uitenhage Road stretch. WA Gwillam passed me but I stuck to his tail and then managed to pass him.’ WA Gwillam, who came second, was the winner of the ‘200’ in 1951. Third was RM Travers, of Maritzburg, whose average speed of 89.5mph for the whole race put him about a mile behind Gwillam.”

“”THANKS TO THE co-operation of the Little River Shire Council, the Australian TT, organised on December 26 and 27, 1952, by the Harley Club of Victoria, became the first motorcycle race ever to be held on the public roads of the Victorian mainland. At its own expense, the council sealed over 1½ miles of road so that tarred surfaces formed the whole of the 4-mile 18yd circuit, which included a section through the main street of the town. Little River lies just off Victoria’s main south-western highway, about 30 miles from Melbourne. This was the first time for six years that the event had been held in Victoria, since it is organised annually by each state in turn, and Victorian riders won five of the seven events. From all accounts, the meeting scored an immediate hit and the sport has gained a large number of new enthusiasts in consequence. This was the kind of racing in which Australians have shown themselves to be such experts. In particular, the two-day meeting will be remembered because it threw up not a few new names which, according to well-informed opinion. will make, no mean impact upon the world of road racing. Among these outstanding, riders at Little River was the almost unknown George Scott, the Perth, Western Australia, jockey of a 7R AJS in the 350cc race,

who, much to everyone’s surprise, led home the redoubtable Maurice Quincey (Norton) by 100 Yards to take second place behind the New South Wales newcomer, Alan Boyle (Velocette). Boyle’s machine was Ernie Ring’s works KTT and its victory gave special pleasure to at least one member of the audience who had come a long way to see the meeting—Mr Jim Edwards of the Velocette factory. Scott also showed his ability to handle a bigger model by bringing his GP Triumph into third place in the Unlimited TT race the following day, only 16sec behind yet another new star in the Southern Cross of racing—J Ehret. The last-named was riding the Vincent Black Lightning which came to Australia with Tony McAlpine. Weighing just over 7 stone, S Willis brought a Lightweight cammy Velocette of his own construction from New South Wales and put his plate up by winning the 250 TT, while Queenslander W Anderson, riding a ‘Featherbed’ Norton in the Senior TT, opened the spectators’ eyes by sharing fastest lap of the meeting, 3min (80.20mph) with the winner, Quincey. In fact, he did it twice. A victory was scored in the Senior sidecar race by F Sinclair’s twin Vincent, modified by Phil Irving and sleeved down to 750cc.”

“THERE IS A RE-AWAKENING of interest in road racing in the USA and these winter months, when the enthusiasts can do little except conduct ‘hot stove leagues’ during which past events are reviewed and plans for the future are discussed, there is much- talk of hoped-for races on closed-off public roads. Actual developments, outside the realm of pipe dreams, are the 50-mile championship event to be held this summer on a road circuit near Johnstown. Pennsylvania, and, of course, the annual meeting on the one-mile circuit at Laconia, New Hampshire. There is no possibility of another 100-mile race being run in the New England area. Already Daytona’s three-race programme is the subject of much speculation. The main race is the national 200-mile, championship, and the others are the 100-mile amateur event and special 50-mile ‘consolation’ race for those who should have taken part in last year’s rained-out 100-miler. Accord to all reports, the ‘beach classic’ promises to be a battle between riders of British vertical twins—BSA Star Twins, Matchless G45s, Norton Export Dominators and Triumph Tiger 100s—but there is always the possibility that the Harley-Davidson factory will spring a surprise with some of its new KR 750cc side-valve racing machines, while the old-type Manx Norton still in the hands of several riders cannot be discounted, in a race which covers 200 miles.”

“THE ANCELL RANCH RUN, held near Wichita Falls, Texas, attracted an entry of 94 and was held entirely on the 14,000-acre Ancell Ranch, where the terrain varies from mud-holes to sandy desert. The method of determining the winner is unusual. The riders are informed that they should finish sometime between 1am and 3am, then a ticket is made out for each minute of the two intervening hours and there is a ballot. Whoever finishes nearest to the time drawn from the hat becomes the winner. On this occasion it was Jack Williams, of Abiline, Texas, on an Indian Warrior. The meeting finished with a typical Texas barbecue and a ‘rocket run’, in which ranch owner ‘Bull’ Ancell hid himself way out on the ranch and fired rockets into the air. First man to reach him was Bill G Williams, on an Indian Brave.”

“THE AMERICAN RED CROSS and the AMA have jointly created an emergency blood transport service, it having been proved that a motor cycle can go anywhere in less time than any other land vehicle. As human blood is rather sensitive to being shaken about, some fears were expressed about its condition at the end of a fast ride, but modern spring frame machines were used for the tests and the plasma suffered no harm.”

“THE SPRINGFIELD, OHIO MCC has undertaken the task of ridding the area surrounding its town of all out-dated signs and posters and, in the first few weeks of its effort, has accounted for several thousand ragged signs.”

“EXHIBITORS IN THE 36th International Brussels Motor Cycle and Cycle Salon are jubilant, and justly so, over the initial success of this year’s display. Like Earls Court, the building devoted to motor cycles and cycles has a gallery: previously it has not been needed but this year, so great has been the demand for floor space, that the upstairs department has also been well filled. Yes, the visitor walking up the entrance steps into the main hall is certainly greeted with a fine spectacle—and to report on what there is to see let us make the grand tour as any ordinary visitor would. As soon as he comes into the body of the building he is met by the displays, located side by side opposite the doors, of Belgium’s two leading motorcycle factories—FN and Sarolea—and both have something new to attract his attention. FN, for instance, have augmented their range of big side-valve and ohv models with a brand-new two-stroke, a type that has appeared only once before, in 1930, in the long history of this, one of the oldest concerns in the motor cycle industry. The new

model, Type 22, is a 175cc job designed to put FN in the keenly competitive small-machine class. As you would expect, it is extremely well made and, though it possesses some unusual features, it is a clean straight-forward motor cycle with no fancy frills. A four-speed, unit construction motor operates on the twin piston, common combustion chamber system. The diameter of each bore is 45mm but at 57.5mm the stroke of the rear piston is 2.5mm greater than the front. This is brought about by mounting the front piston on an auxiliary connecting rod, knuckle-jointed to the rear master rod. The two-port cylinder block is slightly inclined forward and has an alloy head; contained within the box-shaped crankcase-gearbox unit is the contact breaker, 35-watt Noris dynamo and the coil, the battery being fitted below the saddle. Petroil lubrication is used and the unit is supported in a loop cradle frame with a swinging-fork rear springing system controlled by Girling double-acting spring units. Variable rate springs are used in the front teles. A multi-plate metal-to-metal clutch transmits the drive and the wheels have finned alloy central-hub-type brakes. Two models are being marketed, the Standard and the Luxe, both finished in metallic blue. The chief differences are in the silencers, in

the extent of chrome plate and in the polished finish to some of the alloy castings. The price? About 21,000 Belgian francs (approx £150). The rest of the FN range embodies minor detail improvements and the 500cc parallel twin, first shown last year, is due go into production very shortly. Sarolea’s latest offering is a larger version of the pretty little L’Oiseau Bleu two-woke, which made its debut last year with a 125cc engine. The new Regina model has a 198cc motor with built-in AC alternator lighting equipment. It has central-hub-type brakes (the rear hub incorporating a rubber block type shock absorber) and the foot-operated three-speed gear is in unit with the crankcase. Rear springing is by vertical plungers and telescopic forks look after the front. The big ohv models are all on show and the handsome 500cc ohv parallel twin Atlantic now has a bigger brother in the 600cc Major. Next along the gangway are to be found another famous Belgian concern, Gillet-Herstal. Their very popular 250cc ohv model has grown into a 350 called the 4-TC and having swinging fork rear suspension with Girling units. There is also a new 175cc two-stroke with plunger rear springing, central drum brakes and other modernities. Gillet also exhibit French Bernardet scooters fitted with 125 and

250cc Gillet engines. A fourth indigenous manufacturer, Socovel, is next door. On this stand are shown the neat pressed-steel framed, 14in-wheeled, Villiers-engined, rear-sprung velomotors that first appeared last year, and also the Socovel versions of the well-known Jawa single- and twin-cylinder two-strokes. Close to these local makes are the stands of BMW and Puch and the Dutch Sparta people, and on the last-named are to be found examples, as elsewhere in the show, of the new Villiers 8E engine unit. This closely follows the pattern of the 200cc 6E, the main external differences to be noted being a more streamlined chaincase, a slightly shorter inlet stub, the new single-lever carburetter and more finning on the cylinder barrel. A range of French Peugeot lightweights is in close company with German TWNs and Italian Guzzis. And then the visitor comes to an interesting newcomer from another very old Belgian concern, the Minerva Company, of Antwerp. Famous in very early days for their motorcycles and engines, and later for their sleeve-

valve cars, Minervas have entered the scooter market and show what appears to be a very soundly designed two-seat job which is powered by a 175cc MV Agusta two-stroke-engine-transmission unit. MVs themselves have a selection of scooters and ohv and two-stroke machines including an ingenious model in which the swinging fork is mounted direct on to the engine base, the pivot point being forward of the crankcase at the base of the front down tube. Telescopic spring units at the extremities of the rear legs are damped by a, shock absorber anchored below the saddle at its top end and above the gearbox at its base. Further down the hall are located Royal Nord, who have a particularly attractive velomotor powered by a 50cc two-speed-clutch engine unit of their own make. Bigger models are fitted with Maico and Gillet engines. From their factory at Alost, Lion Rapide bring a range that includes Villiers, Ilo and FN power units, the last-named model having a swinging fork rear suspension system controlled by Girling units. The model 100 employs the latest Villiers 4F 98cc unit. In close proximity at the far end of the hall is a big German group dominated by NSU, who give pride of place to the only recently introduced Max model, which has ohc gear operated by three levers working on eccentrics. With a 250cc engine, it is priced at 32,130 francs. Kreidler velos, Phenix scooters, Victoria, Horex, Meister, Hoffmann, Adler, Maico and Bauer are all represented in this section and the last-named show an unusual

250cc ohv with push rods at the front of the cylinder and the inlet and exhaust ports are parallel at the rear. Along the side aisles are to be found, among many others, Ducati (whose Cruiser fluid-drive ohv job is the last word in scooters), Lambretta, Zündapp and Rumi, who show their new twin-cylinder ohc racer along with their very unusual twin-cylinder two-stroke touring and sports models. DKW also feature a racer with the tourers—the three-cylinder 350. Vespa include George Monneret’s Cross-Channel floata-scooter; Motobecane include their Paris Show sensation, the twin 350 with the plugs facing front and rear, and Alpino, Flandria and Novy all offer nice looking lightweights, the Novy people having a 125cc Villiers-engined machine ticketed at 12,500 francs (£90). Terrot scooters, DMF Ilo-engined velos, Hurtu cyclemotors and Walba scooters—they are all here making up the colourful display. But before we leave the ground floor, mention should be made of the Steib hydraulic sidecar brake. This consists of a miniature Lockheed-type master cylinder ‘in series’ with the rear brake rod. A flexible duct connects with the piston-operated sidecar wheel brake to make a very practical fitting that can be applied to almost any outfit. In the gallery are to be found such well-known

names as Tornax, Omega, Ardie, Durkopp, Mars, Eysink, Bianchi, Gilera, Rabeneick, Whizzer, Ratly, Csepel, Indian, Harley-Davidson and Precision Sidecars. From the Chemnitz (Russian Zone) former DKW factory, the Ifa people have sent along their interesting flat-twin 350cc two-stroke, with shaft drive and plunger springing, which is listed at 34,000 francs. Next door to the Parilla stand, which on opening day was the only one empty, are the Swiss Universal twins and there is a host of less well-known makes, featuring mostly Ito, Sachs or Ydral engines. A big British display is scattered over the hall. Velocette and Norman are in the gallery; Vincent, Panther and Excelsior are located on the side lines, while Ariel, BSA, Francis-Barnett, James, Matchless, Royal Enfield, Sunbeam and Triumph are there in force is the main aisles. The Royal Enfield Meteor and Ensign models and the Triumph Terrier, all being fresh from Earls Court, are a big attraction and many are the admiring comments, for Belgium, although only a small country, is astonishingly motor cycle-wise. Latest returns show that there are now approximately 200,000 registered motor cycle owners among a population which is under 10 millions—about one machine to every 50 people. A large proportion of the 200,000 are scooter owners but Belgian riders are by no means conservative and there appears to be a good market for all classes of machine. Certainly, with a strong home production and 12 foreign countries competing for their favours, Brussels Show visitors have an almost infinite variety of selection.”

THE FIRST PUBLIC transmission of television in Germany was on Christmas Day. Three days later there was a 45min programme on motor cycling, with Otto Daiker and Werner Haas, NSU racers, Ewald Kluge, the DKW exponent, and Georg (BMW) Meier all in the Hamburg studio with their machines.”

“WHILE, FROM FEBRUARY 1, the majority of leading petroleum distributors in this country are to market a No 1 fuel at 3d a gallon above existing prices, plus a standard grade at ‘Pool’ prices, the Esso Petroleum Co announce two better-quality fuels, ‘Esso Extra’ and ‘Esso Mixture’ at 4d and 2d respectively more than ‘Pool’. Current prices vary between 4s 2¾d 4s 3¾d.”

“FURTHER TIDINGS OF Spike Rhiando, who is attempting a record journey to the Cape with his Villiers-powered Scootamobile, told of unusually bad weather encountered in North Africa during the first week of the journey. Later news of his progress came from Blida, situated on the foothills of the Atlas range, where snow falling amid orange groves contributed to the freakish conditions. A message brought back by other trans-Sahara travellers was received in London last Saturday and indicated that serious trouble of a mechanical nature had been encountered during the desert crossing and that the rider was suffering from exposure due to the extremely low night temperatures.”

“FOR THE THIRD YEAR running, a concert party composed of Wolverhampton MC members styling themselves The Con Rods put on a first-class show. Billed as ‘Trialing Times’, the entertainment was staged at the Beardmore Hotel, Wolverhampton, on January 14, and the varied programme attracted an audience which more than filled the hail to capacity.”

“TO INCREASE MANUFACTURING space, Francis and Barnett have completed negotiations for the purchase of a freehold factory in Coventry. It is hoped to start production at the new premises, which offer floor space of more than 13,000ft², in the immediate future.”

“ARE SPRING FRAMES really necessary on lightweights? Evidently the majority of riders are all in favour of this refinement. About 75% of the demand for the BSA Bantam is for sprung-heel models. More than 80,000 of these machines have been sold—about 60% of the 125cc motor cycles exported from this country have been Bantams.”

“HYDRAULIC LEGS AND rear-suspension systems manufactured by Mackenzie Motor and General Engineers of 35, Sunderland Road, Forest Hill, SE23, have been supplied mainly to dealers and ‘spring heel’ specialists for the past four years, and have featured on machines in such diverse events as the TT, ISDT, North vs South Scramble and even the Ceylon and Daytona road races. The hydraulic legs—which are now available from stock, price £5 17s 6d per pair, post free in Great Britain—are constructed from solid cold-drawn weldless steel tube. They can be obtained in various sizes with from 3-4in of stroke suitable for any type of machine from 125-1,000cc. Various rates of springs can be supplied, according to the type of machine and the use for which it is intended; and different rates of damping can easily be achieved by oils of varying viscosities. An external filler hole and screw is provided in each leg to allow the oil level to be checked, and, if necessary, topped up, without difficulty.”

“AN INTERESTING PROJECT is in course of development by the Myford Engineering Co of Beeston, Nottingham. This concern manufactures, among other tools, the well-known ML lathe, and their plan is to supply part-finished components for a 50cc twin-cylinder two-stroke engine, enabling the owner of a Myford lathe not only to set himself a first-class practical lesson in machining, but to have, when the work is finished, a rather unusual type of power unit ready for attachment to his bicycle. Clearly, the cost of the end product, manufactured under such a do-the-work-at-home scheme, is likely to be but a fraction of the figure normally paid for a similar engine commercially produced and marketed.”

“THE TYPE OF reliability trial run in Germany would appear to fit a rider for the ‘International’ better than do our one-day, or more usually half-day, events. I have just been reading about the ADAC’s 10th annual Midwinter Trial, which starts from Garmisch-Partenkirchen and is run on rather similar lines to the National Rally. It lasted for 24 hours, starting at 9 on the morning of January 10, and the schedules varied from 30kph (l8½mph) for 125s and 250cc sidecars to 55kph (36½mph) for over-350cc solos which meant that, with snow-covered roads, some fairly steady motoring was needed to gain maximum points. Not without interest is the fact that the only four scorers of maximum points among the 71 finishers in the motorcycle classes all used a sidecar to prop the model up. Two of them were on 250cc outfits —an Ardie and Victoria two-strokes, for which the schedule was the same as for 125cc solos—and the others used 600cc BMW and Zündapp outfits; their 45kph schedule being the same as for the 250cc solos.”

“SOME BLACK LOOKS have been cast at the cyclemotor…It is not one, for example, which appeals to operators of public transport services; the upward spiral of bus and train fares is inciting people to acquire private transport on a scale which has begun to alarm them. So much so that our associated journal, ‘The Commercial Motor’, recently reported that many traffic managers have already had a ‘foretaste of mass solo travel…and know to their cost its disruptive effect on the transport organisation’. Clearly a very astute section of the business community is closely watching the development of the cyclemotor and sees a big future for it.”

“OVER A PERIOD of more than 30 years there has been continual concentrated effort in the 500cc class, while interest in the over-500cc classes was waning before the war and has scarcely been revived since. The 250 and 350cc short-distance records, once British preserves, have been pursued successfully by German and Italian factories since the early ’30s, and the 175cc class—originally French, then German-dominated—has been completely eclipsed since the war by the 125cc, thanks to attention devoted to record-tweaking by Italian scooter manufacturers. Most neglected class of all has been that for 100cc machines, in which all records have now been surpassed by the Italian ’75s’, while a purely post-war phenomenon is the establishment of records for 50cc midgets. In the passenger machine field, now streamlined into 350, 500, 750 and 1,200c combined three-wheeler classes, a 500cc NSU outfit holds the ‘World’s Fastest’ title, at 154mph, against its solo stablemate’s 180mph, but the most amazing achievement of all is the ‘runner-up’ position of

Cavanna’s 250cc Guzzi sidecar outfit which, in averaging 137mph over the kilo, equalled the late Eric Fernihough’s pre-war ‘fastest sidecar’ figure, achieved on a 1,000cc Brough-Superior, and beat the fastest post-war 350cc outfit. With one exception—the 750cc German Goliath, which gained a number of long-distance records—there have been no attempts made with cyclecars since the ’30s, but even then, capacity for capacity, the sidecars were generally beating the trikes. Oldest standing records—with the lowest speeds—are Jim Hall’s 35mph 5km and 5-mile figures, set up at Brooklands in July, 1929, on a 75cc Rocket-JAP; the latest are the long-distance three-wheeler records—some of which beat previous 500, 750 and even 1,200cc. class figures established by Rod Coleman, Bill Doran and the Monnerets at Montlhéry, last October, on a 350cc three-valve AJS hitched to a Blacknell sidecar. There are 504 recognised records ready to be beaten—ranging from 50cc solo to 1,200cc three-wheeler and from 1km to 5,000km and 1 mile to 3,000 miles in distance, and 1hr to 48hr in time. Of these, over the longest distances and periods and mainly in the smallest capacity classes, 67 have yet to be attempted. In the early ’20s, record-breaking by machines of less than 100cc had never been thought of, and when 1923 opened there were only 163 figures standing But of these no fewer than 140 had been set up on British-made machines. American big twins had gained 11, and France—the first country to explore the possibilities of breaking records with small-capacity solos—had seven entries in the book. No German factories figured in those days, but the

then revolutionary Garelli two-stroke, the first successful ‘split-single’, had won seven titles for Italy. British-made machines now hold only 100—no fewer than 82 of which are to the credit of AJS—of the 437 current records which almost half, 218 to be exact, have been made on Italian machines, the-most successful factory being Moto Guzzi, with a round 100 records in the bag. Germany can claim 66; France 42; Austria five; Belgium four, and Argentina two. Does this mean that, as a nation, we have lost interest in the record attempts? I don’t think so. One has only to talk to Noel Pope or Bob Berry to realise that the enthusiasm is there, and the comparatively few—but always successful—visits to Montlhéry made by the AJS, Norton and Vincent folk since the war have shown that When they choose to do so, British factories can produce the machines for the job. But the need for going to Montlhéry, or to a German autobahn, if really fast work is to be attempted, may be one reason why Britain does figure less regularly in the records list than in the past, for the loss of Brooklands most have had its effect. However, too much significance can be—and has been, on more than one occasion—attached to the disappearance of the old Weybridge ‘saucer’. It would not, after all, have been a very suitable place for trial-and-error tests with the 180mph NSU ‘World’s Fastest’ machine! Probably the biggest single factor

in the falling-off of British interest in short-distance attempts has been a shyness to use the elaborate streamlining or complete ‘shells’ favoured by the Germans and Italians. In the British heyday in the records field—the mid-‘twenties—riders like Victor Horsman, Bert Denly, Bill Lacey, Dougal Merchant, Bert le Vack, Wal Handley, Freddie Hicks, Claude Temple and DR O’Donovan went for their titles on models which were virtually race machines stripped of all ‘non-essentials’ and run on a witch’s brew of alcohol and ether, They’d scarcely heard of’ ‘blowers’ and would have been amazed to learn that a wind-tunnel would come to be almost indispensable to anyone out for the ‘flying kilo’. The BMWs came on the scene in 1930—supercharged 750 cc transverse twins and far too fast for comfort! So, when he pushed the ‘World’s Fastest’ title to 137.32mph at Arpajon that summer, Joe Wright had boosted the power of his 0EC-Temple-JAP by fitting a supercharger. A month later, nevertheless, Henne had passed him—by a mere .31mph admittedly—and the writing was on the wall. Wright countered at the end of that year with one of the most remarkable efforts in the history of the ‘kilo’, topping the ‘150’ mark along the Carrigrohane straight, which nowadays forms one leg of the ‘Munster 100’ circuit near Cork. An improvement of over 12mph in a matter of months—needless to say, the big JAP engine was again supercharged. Then, using more complete enclosure than had ever before been attempted on a motor cycle, Henne got

back on top in 1932, and by the end of 1936 had put the speed up to 169mph. By then he was using a 500 instead of a 750, presumably because, with improved streamlining, he could get all the power needed from the smaller engine. British hopes centred upon one man, Eric Fernihough, who was preparing a Brough Superior in his garage at Byfleet, and who was experimenting with cowling for the front forks and the bottom-half of the engine and with a streamlined tail. And at Gyon, in Hungary, on April 19, 1937, ‘Ferni’, after months of painstaking work, succeeded in regaining the title for Britain—but with no more than a .76mph improvement on Henne’s speed. And before the year was out the German ace, backed by the resources of a large factory and by a [Nazi] government anxious to to increase national prestige, had done still better by clocking 173½mph. Fernihough wouldn’t give up! He returned to Gyon the following April and, after waiting around for some days for a cross-wind to abate, he made the attempt which cost him his life. After that the record stood, until another April, in 1951, when Wilhelm Herz, fully encased in one of the most perfectly streamlined machines over produced—the German NSU twin, again only a 500—recorded 180mph on the Munich-Ingolstadt

autobahn. In Its way, this striving to cover a single kilometre faster than ever before tells the story of all record attempts. Increasingly, aerodynamics have played a hand in the results. From cowling there has been a development towards complete enclosure, then to the ‘egg’, pioneered by DKW when gaining 175 and 250cc solo records, and when seeking the 600cc sidecar title before the war, by Gilera when Piero Taruffi set the still-current one-hour solo figure of 127½mph in 1939—again on a 500—and carried to its extreme in the Lambretta scooter, the ill-fated 125cc MV and the 75cc Guzzi. The last them have all had small wheels and the rider lies virtually prone, so enabling a form to be used for the shell which closely parallels the fuselage of a modem aircraft. Cavanna’s sidecar outfit, too, had contours reminiscent of aircraft rather than motor cycle practice. Undoubtedly, streamlining now plays an extremely important part in motor cycle record breaking. Taking the flying kilo as a standard for all capacity classes, I have plotted speed increases throughout the years, and in every case, where there is a sharp upward trend in the later period, an ‘egg’ provides part, at least, of the explanation. Hw high, I wonder, will the ‘World’s Fastest’ soar when a bold enough spirit is found to lie prone inside a 20-in-high shell which houses a blown 500 instead of a 75cc two-stroke or a 125?”—Cyril Quantrill

“THERE IS NO DOUBT that the method of splitting the course into two ‘loops’ paid dividends in the 32nd Colmore Cup Trial. This it the first time that ‘Sunbac’ have, post-war, applied this procedure and the organisers must have been gratified to find the last competitor returning on schedule to Shipston-on-Stour; the start and finish of the event. In addition, the first man was dispatched at 9.01am and the early start, together with the fact that the number of competitors using the course at one time was doubled, overcame the difficulty experienced in post-war years of getting the last rider home in the daylight. A narrow margin of one mark decided the destination of the Colmore Cup, and GL Jackson (350 AJS) beat VM Young (350 Royal Enfield), losing only three points during the day. A far more decisive win by Arthur Humphries (500 Norton sc) left no doubt as to the destination of the William Watson Shield for, losing only 58 marks, he was well ahead of the runner-up, P Wraith (500 Ariel sc), who lost 83 marks, on a course not by any means kind to the three-wheelers. A firm decision to forgo the use of some typical ‘Colmore’ hills in order to avoid delay, did not alter the character of the trial and several of the favourite hazards in the Cotswolds—Camp for example—were still on the route card. The ‘North’ and ‘South’ loops were based on a road junction midway between Broadway and Stow-on-

the-Wold. To this point, competitors were dispatched in pairs at 1min intervals and from there, those with riding numbers up to 100 set off to tackle the North circuit, whilst the ‘over 100s’ started the South loop. A total of 20 observed sections, divided to provide 38 sub-sections in all, were packed into the course, 55 miles in length. Continued hard frost and the cold bright weather that held during the trial had made many of the sections easy. Not so Dovedale, however, for the first of the two sections here consisted of a stream, liberally sprinkled with rocks. The two sections proved worthy of inclusion and indeed, were responsible for the loss of more marks than any other in the trial. Outstanding on the hairpin and tree roots of the second section was Bob Ray (500 Ariel) who ascended the hill at high velocity. Both Pat and John Brittain, Royal Enfield mounted, were unpenalised. Longlands, Weston Wood and Saintbury preceded that old favourite, Fish. This was but a shadow of its former self, for with the ground frozen hard both sections were treated contemptuously by the majority of riders. Three straightforward attempts by JV Smith (500 Norton), KE Oakley (500 Matchless) and BJ Dale (125 BSA) served only to spotlight the fact that JR Stanley (350 Matchless) had chosen the wrong path when, after bitting a log, he stuck on the summit of the bank. Similar conditions existed at the second section, where both GEH Godber-Ford (201 Dot) and DS Evans (350 Royal Enfield) climbed with speed and wheelgrip to spare. One exception proved to be TG Garner (125 Royal Enfield), who stopped short of the card after an attempt that started too slowly. Sited in a quarry, both Chips I and II were short, sharp and tricky. A very steep climb prefaced a sharp right-hand turn. Many competitors found difficulty at Chips I in making the change of direction with the front wheel in the air. Both JB Houghton (350 Royal Enfield) and GL Jackson (350 AJS) made beautifully controlled ascents, but BA Wright (500 Norton), after a neat showing on the first sub, was fortunate to land outside the cards after a ‘wall of death’ ride in the air. George Buck (500 Ariel sc) spoiled what looked like a stout effort by footing early and then capsizing after getting over the hump, which stopped all other sidecar men. A number of rocks and logs provided opportunities for ‘balancing acts’ in Chips II, and on these both RE Jordan (350 BSA) and Bill Nicholson (500 BSA) were outstanding. The steep slope stopped nearly all the sidecarists, but Arthur Humphries proved the exception to the rule with a magnificent,

unpenalised climb. Stanway Loop, a ‘stop and go’ timed and observed test, followed the brake test, which started the southern circuit. Here. Bill Nicholson put paid to his chances with an over-enthusiastic attempt that ended with a loss of 10 marks. Both Stanway River and Lidcombe Wood were extremely easy for solos, although many of the sidecar drivers, among them AG Brown (500 Norton sc) and Bob Collier (500 Norton sc) lost marks in the Stanway River section. Of the two short hazards at Jackdaw Quarry the second undoubtedly caused more trouble than the first. In spite of this, not all riders got through unpenalised to the tight, right-hand uphill hairpin that was Jackdaw II. A tree stopped BA Wright (500 Norton), while RW Smith (500 Triumph), who seemed to be troubled by a pair of oddly shaped handlebars, also lost marks in Jackdaw I. As the sun thawed the surface more and more riders found grip at Jackdaw II, while at one stage 10 riders made consecutive faultless climbs. At Guiting Wood Jackson made the mistake that cost him the only three marks he lost during the day. Both sections were easy, and although others were penalised, clean, climbs were in the majority. Camp was surprisingly easy and proved dull for the many spectators. Towards the end of the trial the surface deteriorated, and finally both RW Smith (500 Triumph) and B Holland (200 James) shot over the side of the path after the first hairpin. Clean climbs became more difficult and infrequent, but both CM Bennett (500 Ariel) and L Wyer (200 James) showed that the hill could still be mastered. Some’ excitement was provided by Bob Collier (500 Norton sc), who came to grief on the hairpin, whereupon his passenger disappeared, with the outfit, over the side of the track. Apparently the gearbox disconnected the drive to the rear wheel at a critical moment. Two non-stop, but vigorously assisted, climbs by RN Holoway (500 BSA sc) and TH Ashcroft (500 Ariel, sc) were capped by both Arthur Humphries and George Buck who went’ through, but unpenalised. RESULTS Colmore Cup (best performance): GL Jackson (350 AJS), 3 marks lost. William Watson Shield (best sidecar): AJ Humphries (500 Notion sc), 58. Cranmore Trophy (second best performance): VM Young (350 Enfield), 4. Moxon Cup (best 125cc): GE Fisher (125 Francis-Barnett), 7. Calthorpe Cup (best 250cc): GE Godber-Ford (201 Dot), 9. Horton Cup (best 350cc): WA Lomas (350 Enfield), 4. Kershaw Cup (best 500cc): PF Hammond (500 Triumph), 6. Hassan Cup (best 500cc sidecar): P Wraith (500 Ariel sc), 83. Bayliss Cup (best ‘Sunbac’ member): GJ Draper (350 BSA), 7. Best Club and General Team: Sunbeam MCC ‘A’ (GJ Draper, GL Jackson, JV Brittain), 19.”

“GERMAN CHEMISTS, SO it is reported, think they have evolved a preparation that, when applied to road surfaces, will prevent the formation of ice, and even stop snow. from settling. The treatment was applied to a half-mile stretch sometime back in the autumn, and to date is said to have done what was claimed for it. While the advent of ice-proof roads sounds too good to be true, it nevertheless seems within sight.”

A storm surge in the North Sea led to floods in the Netherlands, Belgium, and the United Kingdom which killed more than 2,000 people including 307 in Lincolnshire, Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex.—Ed

“FROM THE SWEDISH distributors of Panther motorcycles, Messrs Stach & Co, of Stockholm, Phelon & Moore received last Monday a cheque for £200, with the request that it be passed to the Lord Mayor of London’s National Flood and Tempest Fund.”

“JUST RETURNED FROM his Monte-Carlo Rally adventures, Bob Foster, British concessionaire for Guzzi machines, phoned last week to give us the test of a cable he had received from Italy: ‘Distressed at great disaster; our thoughts go to you in this tragic moment for your country. Moto-Guzzi.’ Thank you, Mandello. Motor cyclists who have suffered through the East Coast flood calamity will appreciate such kindly concern.”

Articles in the Green ‘Un lauding the potential of lightweight combos led to some startling claims in the correspondence pages which, in turn, inspired these ripostes…

“I AM TOYING with the idea of fixing a sidecar to my autocycle (a light one, of course) in order that my wife and I may take our small son with us on our outings. If this is practicable, I hope later to obtain a small caravan to tow behind us on our annual holiday. I should like to hear the views of others on their experiences with similar lightweight sidecar and sidecar/caravan outfits.
DAVID WICKHAM, Tring, Herts.”

“LET ME HASTEN to assure Mr David Wickham that an autocycle with a sidecar is quite a practical proposition. In fact, a friend of mine uses one to pull a plough (single furrow, of course) on his farm. There are no major snags, he says. High-speed steering is not all that it might be, but he may not have the outfit correctly aligned. He thinks a two-speed model would be an improvement for the steep bits, and recommends a tractor tyre for the rear wheel.
H HENNESSY, Fairview, Dublin.”

“YOUR CORRESPONDENT Mr David Wickham, who considers fitting a sidecar and caravan to his autocycle, can go ahead and try. My friend and I, both over the 12-stone mark, recently completed a tour of the Highlands of Scotland with a motor-assisted cycle-sidecar and caravan. The only snag was that when we were on a gradient of more than 1 in 2½, my friend had to lean out of the sidecar and fan the carburetter intake with his hat, thus getting a supercharged effect. Next year we are going to tour the Alps, and in 1955 we are going to put the outfit on ‘dope’ and make the first motor-cycle attempt to ascend Mount Everest (international situation permitting). Any contributions to a fund for this purpose will be gratefully received.
P GRAYSON, Leicester.”

“THOSE OF US who have ever been involved in a toss at high speed remember that a certain catapult effect is involved. Even a sharp skid at low speed provides that sensation—we feel as if we were being violently slung out of the saddle. I hate chatting about unpleasant events, but this element in a spill particularly affects a pillion passenger, who has next to no knee grip, and would not be popular with her (or his) driver if accustomed to hug that individual too tightly. Hence it is probably even more desirable that pillion passengers should adopt safety helmets than that solo riders should do so.—Ixion

“TWO WIDELY KNOWN pioneers of the motor cycle movement, Canon FW Hassard-Short, aged 79, and Lt-Com. FA McNab, aged 74, died last week. For more than 10 years Canon Hassard-Short was the chairman of the Automobile Association, yet there is some doubt whether he ever owned a motor car. His great love was motor cycling, which he began in 1903. In those days he was a curate in Cardiff, and he was one of the founder members of the Cardiff Motor Club. In 1911 he became a motor cycling chaplain in the British Army and was attached to the Kent Cyclist Battalion (TA). During the first world war he acted as a recruiting officer and was concerned with the enrolment of motor cycle dispatch riders. Lt-Com FA McNab is especially remembered for having established, in 1909, the first officially recognised world’s one-hour record in the 500cc class at 48.22mph. Two years before that, he started manufacturing motor cycles of his own design, under the name of Trump, and in the early twenties he built a special Trump-Anzani to the order of King George VI (then the Duke of York). On one memorable day, McNab broke no fewer than 26 world’s records at Brooklands. In spite of advancing years, Lt-Com McNab’s enthusiasm for motor cycle sport remained undiminished. At the time of his death he was a member of the Pre-war TT Riders’ Re-union, vice-president of the Sunbeam MCC, a member of that club’s competitions committee, a member (and past president) of the Association of Pioneer Motor Cyclists, and a life member of the British Motor Cycle Racing Club.”

“FEW WOULD HAVE thought it possible that, with a modern motorcycle, mechanical noise could be actually more objectionable than that of the exhaust. Yet the fact was proved quite conclusively, it seems, in the tests recently conducted in Switzerland. Certainly it gives the technicians something to think about. Also the manufacturers, and those concerned with the sales side, all of whom must be well aware that noise remains one of the motor cycle’s more serious failings. It is possible to argue that a machine can be too quiet for safety, at any rate when being ridden in towns. I doubt the validity of that theory, but in any case silent running is demanded by very many potential users who will never be satisfied until they get it. To quieten a four-stroke engine is likely to involve more than modifications of the valve gear. Liquid cooling is realised to be a valuable aid; where air-cooled units are concerned the fitting of shields, or cowls, may also prove helpful, provided the design is right. Over the latter there is scope for a great deal of further research. Shields can actually make matters worse by setting up drumming and so on, but they also hold out the possibilities of very substantial improvements in noise reduction. Certainly the Swiss are very much to be commended for arranging this exceedingly useful trial, and we in Britain would do well to follow their lead.”

“THE PHILLIPS CONCERN is one of the largest producers of bicycles in this country, and incidentally does a very big export trade. At the Show they introduced a special model for use with a cyclemotor, of whatever make the purchaser might prefer, and now the factory has produced a complete range of cycles for power propulsion. No fewer than eight models are included in the list. This is yet another indication of the fact that the cyclemotor is now accepted as a coming thing by some of the best business brains in the country. There is no doubt, too, that many who propose switching from pedals to power would prefer to have a cycle that had been specially built for the purpose, with a strengthened frame, bigger-brakes and tyres, and so on. While that is true enough, there is another aspect of the matter. It is that the ideal motor attachment should be suitable for fitting to any sound bicycle. If modifications are necessary, or the device is only suitable for installation in a special machine, then the original idea seems rather to have misfired. The chief merit of the cyclemotor is, or it should be, that it enables the cyclist to choose his method of propulsion, and if the fitting of the engine makes the machine unsuitable for pedalling, that condition is obviously not fulfilled.”

“THE AMBITION TO GO foreign touring by motor cycle is now to be realised by 34-year-old Kenneth Bletcher, of Chorlton-cum-Hardy, whose suggestion to call a protective helmet a ‘Skidlid’ won the Daily Express competition, held recently to find a popular alternative to ‘crash-hat’. First prize is a £150 motor cycle on which Mr Bletcher and his wife plan to tour Spain this year.”

RIDERS OF RIGID-FRAME motor cycles who hanker after more comfortable conditions are likely to find interest in a new bolt-on spring-heel assembly designed and made by Deeprose Bros. With considerable experience of suspension problems, this London concern has supplied units sporting purposes. The manufacturers have specialised in conversions for BSA machines, enabling the standard wheel, spindle and chain tension of Gold Star and ‘B’ models to be retained. Further details and prices are obtainable from Deeprose Bros, 178, Brownhill Road, Catford, London, SE6.”

“A RECENT ACCIDENT in which nine foxhounds were killed by a lorry temporarily focused newspaper headlines on something concerning the safety of every motor cyclist— the menace of dogs on the road. Every year approximately 3,000 human casualties, including 20 dead and 600 seriously injured, result from this cause. Statistics leave no doubt that it is motor cyclists who are most exposed to danger and suffer the highest percentage of casualties. It is motorcyclists, therefore, who have the greatest interest in some solution being found to the problem, especially as the present legal position is that the chances of obtaining compensation from the dog owner are remote. If they are accepted, however, the recommendations of a law committee published a few days ago may enable compensation to be obtained from owners whose negligence is proved. The toll of human suffering far outweighs the loss of canine life, but it is nevertheless tragic that 75,000 dogs are killed or injured on the roads annually—only 4% of those involved in accidents ‘escape without some injury. Thus, it is obvious that true animal lovers as well as road-users have a vital interest in preventing these accidents. There is evidence, however, that many of the accidents are not caused by dogs belonging to animal lovers, but to the callous people who keep a puppy and then turn it loose when its licence becomes due—the animal is, of course, a greater menace than ever, because it runs more and more aimlessly in an effort to find its home again. Motor cyclists can do much to help themselves and other road users by reporting anyone guilty of such treachery, to the RSPCA.”

“ONE OF THE HEROES of schoolboy fiction during my youth was Dan—Dan the ‘Daily Wire’ man, a journalistic gentleman who was the pride of Fleet Street and who always ‘scooped’ his rivals because he had invented a marvellous machine. With it he scanned the world, seeing on its screen vivid pictures of stirring events almost before they happened! Not for nothing was Dan known as ‘The Ray Reporter’! And little ‘CP’, his eyes popping out like chapel hat-pegs, absorbed Dan’s adventures quite unconscious of the fact that, nearly half a century later, he, too, would be a reporter using just such a machine. But that’s how it was last week-end when, with Bob-Holliday, I found myself assigned to ‘cover’ the BBC’s Television Trophy Trial on Saturday—Bob to do the field duty while I took the receiving end of the job. Sitting in slippered ease, with pint and pipe nicely to hand waiting for zero hour of 3 pip emma and the first ‘shots’ to come through on my set, I reflected appreciatively that my boyhood’s hero, without doubt, certainly had something, to say nothing of the prophetic genius of some now forgotten author. Then the announcer gave us the sad news that something had happened to their main aerial so our pictures might not be all that they should…But he was unduly pessimistic for, when the opening views took the screen they were so pin-sharp that I shivered and thought sympathetically of Bob, out there in all that snow! Raymond Baxter introduced himself to us. He told us that he was about to compére a team trial held under the auspices of the ACU for solos in which four quartets of leading British riders representing the North, the South, the Midlands and the West (including Wales) Regions would compete for a

trophy over a miniature course on Aston Hill containing three sections, each with two sub-sections. A-CU Clerk of the Course was the popular South Midland Centre secretary, JC Lowe. Then we had a close-up of the ‘assembly area’, which Baxter had called a new winter sports centre, with in the background, a kind of igloo—probably for the Clerk of the Course! The four teams were named: Midland, Billy Nicholson, Brian Martin, Dave Tye on BSAs and JV Smith (Norton). South, Hugh Viney and Bob Manns with AJS machines, and Gordon Jackson and Ted Usher on Matchlesses. North, Tom Ellis (BSA), Geoff Broadbent (Royal Enfield), Stan Holmes (Ariel) and Johnnie Giles on a Triumph. West, Jim Alves and Peter Hammond with Triumphs, Bob Ray on an Ariel and Fred Rist with a BSA. Late arrivals Johnny Brittain and Don Evans, their places taken by reserves, joined the ‘on-site’ assistants. Raymond Baxter warmed up to his job, giving us a graphic word picture of the Arctic conditions—the hills had been practically unclimbable earlier that morning—but the snowfall had ceased and the sun was trying to come out. The machines crackled into life as the group of riders moved over to the first hill—a hump, a chicane and a climb given as 1 in 2. The camera panned. I thought I caught sight of Bob, looking straight into the lens—or whatever it is that TV cameras have—with a sort of ‘Can you sec me, brother?’ expression, and then the camera picked up Tom Ellis making the first ascent—a good effort spoilt by footing; ‘Nicky’ didn’t even do as well; Viney looked as though he would make it but footed. So did Alves and in the excitement a marshal fell on his back! Then we followed hard on the heels of Bob Ray as he scored what was to be the only ‘clean’ of the day; Dave Tye spilled everything in a most untidy manner, while Giles marred what might have been the best climb so far by a dab. Last man up was Fred Rist whose robust figure bobbed about until he stopped. Baxter announced the scores to be West, 18; South and North 21 apiece; and Midland 23 marks lost. On the second hill, which contained a stiff

climb on frozen mud which, said Baxter, was then thawing, Jim Alves hit what would have been the dust and Martin demonstrated to several million onlookers how to stand still without footing. Then he, too, fell off, and the section was left with the scores reading West 36, North and Midlands 37 each, and South 39. The third hazard had two climbs with a few tight turns between and everyone was clean (except Hammond, who knocked a flag down, and Giles who footed) which interfered more than somewhat with the BBC schedule. And as you can’t do that to BBC schedules Baxter was heard calling upon CoC Lowe for leave to give the boys another go at a modified version of the first hill and so make up the time promised to the cash customers. Meanwhile the scores to date were produced: South, 39; Midland and North, 40; and West, 41. This time without the chicane, the last hill was a straight climb. Nicholson, Ray, Usher, Giles and Manns were clean but Stan Holmes parted from the model with great velocity and pulled off the plug lead to ‘kill’ his racing engine. Alves took to the country and showered a lot of it over an innocent bystander. One by one the rest took their turns, footing or failing, and at the end the South were announced as winners with a loss of 52 marks, the North and Midland tying for second place with 55 and the West tailing up with 56. The familiar face of television pioneer Prof AM Low, appropriately enough, came into focus as Baxter called upon the A-CU’s chairman to present the handsome silver trophy. And with the grinning faces of Bob Manns, Ted Usher, Gordon Jackson and Uncle Hugh Viney and all holding their replicas, Raymond Baxter returned us to the studio, and your reporter remembered regretfully that next week-end’s trials would have to be ‘covered’ in the hard, old-fashioned way.—CP READ.

“THE ‘FARTHEST-ROUND-CLEAN’ rule, used for deciding ties in the Birmingham ’30’ MC’s national DK Mansell Trophy Trial—the sidecar drivers’ ‘classic’—will have to be supplemented by a special test. For last Saturday, when the trial took place, in the Stroud Valley for the second year running, last year’s winner, Frank Wilkins (500 Ariel sc), and F Darrieulat (500 BSA sc), who was runner-up on that occasion, both lost three marks, as a result of footing in just one section, and both chose the same section in which to do it! The day opened with a heavy snowstorm and the familiar Cotswold Hills were carpeted with snow when the trial began at 11am, but there was no frost in the ground and the passage of a few machines soon exposed the mud and rocks which feature in most of the sections in those parts. Five non-starters, one of whom was Ted ‘Cabby’ Cooper, who is making a rapid recovery from the effects of his prang in the previous Sunday’s Paley Cup Trial, left a total of 36 competitors to tackle the two laps of a 29-mile course which started and finished at the Bear. Pools Café, Rodborough Common, Stroud, Glos.”

AMC developed its G9/7R hybrid into the G45 production racer (the ‘45’ reflected the 500 twin’s claimed power output).

The BSA Gold Star was treated to swinging arm rear suspension. Also new from Hall Green was the Super Flash, a tuned plunger-framed Golden Flash. Within months the A10 got swinging-arm suspension and the Super Flash became the Road Rocket.

Road racing returned to London with the revival of the Crystal Palace circuit by the London County Council. Facilities included a trackside railway station.

The World Road Racing Championship, started in 1949 with six rounds, had grown to nine ‘classics’: the TT and the Ulster, Belgian, Dutch, French, German, Swiss, Italian and Spanish Grands Prix. The best five performances counted towards each manufacturer’s points standings.