Two more years are on-site for your delectation including loads of good stuff from the 1948 Earls Court show, which featured a cornucopia of vertical twins. You’ll also find the most famous motor cycling pic ever taken, comprehensive coverage of the TTs and ISDTs and…shedloads more. And for a change of pace about 300 striking images have been added to the advertising sections from 1924-48 and to the artwork page where, as well as some fab coloured ads, you’ll find cartoons, and illustrations to gladden your eye.

There are now more than 100,000 words, and one or two pics, crammed into 1946. Yarns include reports on the new-fangled telescopic forks that were springing up in front of British bikes, including the air-sprung Dowties on the Panthers (there’s also a test of the Panther M100)…the innovations uncovered by the “British Intelligence Objectives Sub-Committee’s Report on the German motor cycle industry”…a Belgian electric motor cycle which went into series production and a petrol-powered Belgian with an odd front end…a busy programme of sporting events—despite the continued petrol rationing that had the motor cycling fraternity at its wits’ end…and…go take a gander. As 1947’s already as complete as any year is in the timeline (though I have just added some remarks by Soichiro Honda’s first engineer) I’ll get back to 1948. Meanwhile more pics are being added to the melanges all the time, and in 1913 you’ll find harrowing tales of American desert racing. Enjoy.

I’m adding yarns and pics to 1946 on a daily basis. Latest tiotbits include the first great post-war trial (it was a mudbath, but two-stroke tiddlers were making their mark among the big four-strokes); a 9cc, yes 9cc-powered bicycle that combined a 15mph cruising speed with consumption of 1,280mpg; head-banging street racing in Rome; and some exquisite drawings from a Jap prison camp.

Over the past few nights I’ve made a small inroad into the towering pile of old photos received from my esteemed amigo Francois. A good number are from the world wars; many more are from the US (not, not just Indians and Harleys, we’re also talking Thor, Flying Merkel, Excelsior and Emblem); some exquisite pre-WW1 ads have been aded to the Artwork page—and many more pics have been absorbed by the main timeline and the second melange page, which is filling up to the point that I’ll need to set up Melange III. I now plan to get back to 1946 after which I’ll get back on schedule with 1948.

Some great snaps of pre-war Harley dealers and German road racers, more veterans, more images from the Great War (in Le Melange) and WW2 (in their own page), loads (and I do mean loads) more Indian and Harley snaps plus a couple of Hendersons, two Aces, a Reading Standard and Excelsiors—the latest batch from Francois (merci mon ami) is scattered through les deux melanges so if you have some time, brew up and take a look.

I was busy uploading more images in les melange when I came across a great batch of yarns from the colonies, including a record braking trans-continental trek on a Thomas. And a town that fined motor cyclists for motor cycling. And two watery motor cyclists: a Brit who set fire to a river and a Jerry who was caught out by a raised drawbridge. And an American reaction to a British Fairy. Enjoy; I’m going back to the pictures.

Since my last post my esteemed ami Francois has sent me several dozen excellent pictures. Many date from 1947/8 and will be published under their respective years, or in the melange; others are from the first and second world wars; there’s also a great batch of pre-Great War pics from the USA and…you get the idea. Normal service on the timeline (eg 1948) will be suspended while I get stuck into the photo files. I’ll post updates so you can check out the latest additions. As a taster here’s a snap of a nipper and his Adler.

I was about to start on 1948 when my attention was diverted by a 1906 issue of the Blue ‘Un tracked down by my endlessly fascinating wife (thanks boss). Additions to 1906 include a charming Continental touring yarn, a record breaking ride by one Reverend AJ McKinney; a report on Geoff Barnes’ record braking session at Canning Town courtesy of that maestro of the stopwatch, AV Ebblewhite; a report on the Essex MC’s hillclimb with (I think) some interesting machine data; a batch of readers’ letters and an excellent selection of ads including loads of classifieds that I found fascinating. And now I’ll get to work on 1948 (after I’ve uploaded another batch of images to les melanges, courtesy of mon bon ami Fanfan.

Another year’s complete, in the sense that I’ve exhausted my sources in search of stories from 1947. You’ll find some bike launches new marques, reports from the Milan show, the first six-race TT and the Ulster, as well as notes from the first post-war ISDT—the Czech hosts won, helped by the absence of British factory teams because Britain simple couldn’t afford it. The Jerries were absent too (the Czechs had enough of German visitors for the time being) but at least German motor cyclists had some petrol for their bikes. UK enthusiasts ended the year with dry tanks and they were not pleased. Read all about it; meanwhile I’ll get busy on 1948. See you there.