A very cold start to the New Year, but there are still some
brave classic bikers braving the salt for some good riding in the crisp winter
sunshine. In December we caught up with two more classic motorcycle record
breakers that have been braving the salt.
WarBike Project
The book is beginning to look like a finished work, but
there are still some editing and images to work on. During the research we
discovered more about the part played by Brooklands Race Track during WW1. This
included testing motorcycles for the War Office, and a previously un-discovered
scratch meeting held in September 1914 by a group of workers from the Royal
Aircraft Factory. This has resulted in a spin off publication for Brooklands
Museum, part one of which has just been published in the Museum Trust’s
Magazine with a further piece planned for later in the year.
A summary of the early history of military motorcycling has
already been published in the October edition of the Classic Motorcycle and we
hope to be commemorating the three 1915 Brooklands motorcycle events later in
the year in conjunction with the Brooklands Museum. At this stage I would also
like to thank the Manx Aviation & Military Museum for providing some
stunning images of Dispatch Riders which are to be included in the book.
Southern Classic Off Road Show
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| WW1 BSA Bicycle |
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| Period WW1 Combination |
Kempton Park Race Course was the location of EGP Enterprises
second show of the year and crowds flocked to the ever-popular event which was
bolted on to the December motorcycle jumble. Organiser Eric Patterson took time
out from his busy schedule of Record Breaking and events management to explain
that the Jumble is one of the few that is organised by bikers for bikers. He
recalled the first events in a Village Hall which had to be closed down because
of overcrowding. He then moved to Ascot Racecourse before arriving at the
current venue. If you have never been, you need to get down there as it is a
unique experience. There are some who say that a Jumble is a Jumble, but somehow
Eric manages to retain that Village Hall vibe on a large scale. In the relaxed atmosphere
it seems that you will always run into old mates for a chat; and twice a year
there is the bonus of a bike show for an extra quid on the ticket price.
On a 15 minute look round the December Jumble we found a
very original (Knackered!) WW1 vintage combination, a restored BSA WW1 military
Bicycle, a twin engined French Barn find and custom Cafe Racer seats.
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| This neat Norton won Best in Show & Sounded great too! |
It was back to the Grandstand for a bit of an impromptu
Engine run by some of the Bikes. We had transported the Brooklands Museum
Exhibits and rather ironicly spent what seemed like hours the night before
draining the tank of The Tommy Meeten Francis Barnett, there was no way we were
going to go through that again, so it stayed on the stand. A beast of a grass track
combination finally roared into life together with a selection of other track
and field machines.
Back in the hall the Brooklands Tommy Meeten Francis Barnett
had a visit from Sam Lovegrove, builder of the 2013 Alan Cathcart/Henry Cole
record Breaking Brough Superior featured on The Travel Channel’s Greatest
Motorcycle Journeys .
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| Sam Lovegrove Chats about the Francis Barnett |
Sam took time out to chat with the volunteers about the rebuild
of the Francis Barnett which itself holds an endurance record. In 1927 this
plucky little 172 cc 2-stroke was able to fend off the big boys by staying out
on the track with its three petrol tanks averaging 50 MPH over a six hour period.
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| Tommy Meeten on the 172cc Fanny B |
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| The Rebuilt 1927 EW Douglas |
Meanwhile, other visitors to the stand were learning about how a Cement Mixer engine, an old frame and collection of bits were born again as the 1927 EW Douglas featured in April 2014’s Classic Bike Guide. Incidentally the Brooklands Volunteers are currently working on a re-creation of an outer circuit racer which should be ready later in 2015.
It was soon time for prize giving and Peter Allan won the
prize for the best Record-Breaker with his bike “Epsom Salt” built by Baron’s
Speed Shop.
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| Prize-winner Peter Allan with "Epsom Salt" |
The prize was a small consolation for a challenging year. Peter
explained that he was all set to do some more runs at Bonneville in August but
was thwarted by appalling weather after which the lake bed returned to being a
Lake! The event was called off and he returned empty handed.
The next Kempton Jumble is on 24 January 2015 and the next
show at Kempton is the Southern Classic (Road) bike Show on 23 May 2015. See the EGP Enterprises website for more
about the Motorcycle Jumbles and Eric Patterson’s Record breaking machines.
Tax Discs
The excitement regarding tax discs has died down a bit, but
don’t forget that you still need to SORN or “Tax” your classic even if there is
no fee to pay. It seems a bit daft but the DVLA still need to record “Tax” or
SORN against the vehicle for it to remain legal. It seems to us that it is better to “Tax” than
SORN as this provides the greatest flexibility for bikes that are nil rate tax.
For those who miss the experience of a soaked ink run disc
on the bike Greg Powell can provide you with a reproduction disc for your empty
holder from 1921 to 1986. You can even get the date stamp of your choice. See
more at poplargreg.com.
Old Timer
