SEPTEMBER 2013 Update

August was been a quiet month for us. Plenty of time for enjoying the sunshine and dodging the odd shower.

All our Yesterdays
See the All our Yesterdays page for information about what was happening a hundred years ago in the motorcycling world. This month there is new of the first man to ride ou Skidaw on a motorcycle and a plea to reduce the number of deaths caused by carrying passengers on parcel carriers. 

Rhonyx Project
No progress since the last update so the research continues. The Netley Marsh Autojumble is coming up in September, so it might be worth a trip. Even if there is nothing there, you get a lot of punters from across the channel to chat to. If you have any information on the Rhonyx Marque let us know at info@Fenlandclassics.co.uk.

War Bike Project
Lots of information coming in on WW1 motorcycles. Some wonderful stories and photos. It turns out the London Imperial War Museum has been closed at present, but there is still a lot of work to be done to organise and reference what has been coming in. I am particularly interested at present in the training for riders prior to being sent to France/Belgium. Also stories or information concerning maintenance in the field. We have an interesting story of grass being used to stuff a punctured tyre! If you have any information please contact us at: Warbike@Fenlandclassics.co.uk   

The ABC Flat Twin

Since there is not much going on I thought we could fill the space with some interesting facts about one of my (Many) favourite bikes:



An ABC at a Recent Bonhams Auction

The All British Engine Company (ABC) was founded at Brooklands in 1910 and had a close association with aircraft manufacturer Sopwith and moved to Hersham, Walton-on-Thames in 1914.

When aircraft sales slumped post WWI this bike was designed by Granville Bradshaw and built at the Sopwith aircraft factory in Kingston-on-Thames from 1918.

Whilst this was perhaps a business disaster, we have to view it in the context of the engineering pioneers. This motorcycle was in my view way ahead of its time. Its design was largely experimental and quite complex. This complexity ultimately led to its eventual downfall and spelt the end for the company. It was unreliable and too many unsatisfied customers.

Unusually, even for this period it had no means of mechanical starting. The rider had to engage the gear and push-start. However, it featured leaf springs at front and rear. It also had a Duplex (Cradle) frame and the flat twin engine later adopted by BMW and challenged by the designer. Later models also featured speedometers and electric lights. The front and rear leaf springs can be seen in the photos below.



Rear Leaf suspension

 

Front Leaf Suspension

The motorcycle was produced in England until 1923 and some were made under licence by Gnome and Rhone in Belgium until 1925.

All our yesterdays

After a slow start we now know that there was loads going on in 1913. Catch up with this month’s selection including the first motorcycle to be ridden up Skidaw and a patent for an “automatic” motorcycle gearing.

Old Timer