Page 1

Page 2

Paradise & Gell has been located on Michael Street in Peel since 1974.Here you will find a wide range of furnishings to enhance any livingspace. Whether you are looking for something contemporary or a moretraditional piece, then look no further than Paradise & Gell.

Page 1

Contents

Editor: Harley Richards joand.harley@virgin.net

Cover Picture:- A wild and wet ride through the Manx countryside – machinerymight have moved on but the challenges of remaining upright and (mainly) dryremain the same!

Page 2 Time for a change

Page 3 Chairman's Chat

Page 4 Yellow Belly Notes - “What Ho"

Page 7 Rider Profile No. 29 - R. H. Dale

Page 8 Trials Results

Page 10 The Nursery Hotel

Page 15 A Moment in Time

Page 16 All you need to know about TRIALS

Page 22 Book Review - "BSA Motorcycles - the final evolution"

Page 24 Forthcoming Events

Page 25 Kettenkrads and Flying Fleas

Page 28 Out and About 1

Page 30 Out and About 2

Page 32 Stafford Show Report

Page 35 New Members

Page 36 Motor Cycle Cavalcade

Photo by Amulree

Published by Peel Copy CentreTel: +44 (0)1624 843889

Page 2

VINTAGE MANN – Time for a changeAfter four years editing the magazine, the real world is getting in theway of me producing something that (I hope) you all enjoy reading. Assuch, I feel it’s time to hand over the reins to a new editor.

I would be more than happy to talk through what the role entails in detailwith anyone who thinks this might be something they would like to take onbut, in brief, the editor’s responsibilities are:

• editing articles/ photographs submitted to the magazine,

• (occasionally) writing articles,

• invoicing (annually) the advertisers and subscribers

• finalising the format/ layout of the magazine,

• getting stamps / address labels on envelopes, magazines in the envelopesand the whole lot in the post.

You will need to be moderately computer literate (although no specialpublishing programmes are involved) and the initial formatting is all doneby the printer.

If that hasn’t put you off, please do get in touch at joand.harley@virgin.net

Of course, if editing the magazine sounds a little onerous then any articles,photos or reviews you would like to contribute would always be welcome.Most of us have at least one tale to tell where vintage bikes are concerned,so why not share it with a group of like minded individuals?

Finally, I would like to extend a personal greeting to all our new membersand remind them that it is now possible to receive the magazine electronicallyif you’d prefer. Just drop me an email to the above address and I will do therest. Thanks again and I hope you enjoy the magazine.

Harley

Page 3

Chairman’s chatSeasons greetings to one and all, here’s hoping that 2016 brings you prosperity andgood health.

Just a short note this time which concerns next year’s runs. During the past year theparent VMCC club altered the system for permits and road runs, this eliminated theprevious signing on sheets which included your bike’s details. This, in turn, hascaused us considerable problems when it comes to annual trophies and prizes as wehave nothing to go on.

Tony has managed to obtain the original paperwork which we will be using nextyear - this is good news but only if you play your part and fill in the detail required,which only takes you a few moments. I realise that you may not remember yourname, but your bike’s details should be a no-brainer.

I hope that you all make the Hangover run and remember that it starts from theFarmers Arms car park and not the Tynwald Inn. Not riding weather at present butwe live in hope!!

Richard• getting stamps / address labels on envelopes, magazines in the envelopes

Page 4

Yellow Belly Notes“What Ho”

In 1906, Syston Park held its first hill climb and, in 1926, created thefirst road race circuit in Britain (Pic 1). The circuit was used as atraining ground for the TT, the Manx Grand Prix and as a venue for theInter-varsity Oxford and Cambridge competitions. A flavour of whatsort of events these were is hinted at in this shortlist of some of thefour-wheeled competitors:

· Sir Hickman Bacon - Wolsey

· Dr Stitt Thomson - De Dion

· Revd. T.A Stooley - De Dion

· Major J.A. Cole - HumberSome of the motor cycle riders also went on to great things:

· Maurice Cann - Velocette

· Freddie Frith - Velocette

· J.H.(“Crasher”) White - Velocette

· Eric Fernihough - Excelsior, Brough

What happened to Syston Park, the first road race circuit in Britain?

Pic 1

Page 5

So, off to deepest rural Lincoln-shire (actually, that fits most ofthe County), with two KTTs inthe van, on a sunny Sundaymorning. The invitation de-scribed the event as a ‘LaunchParty’ (Pic 2) and that’s justwhat the atmosphere of the daywas.Now, I am aware that when Iwrite these rambling stories ofmine for a vintage motor cyclemagazine and cars do not usual-ly get a mention, but there werecars at this event that were trulyextraordinary. How about a 10.5litre Daimler?(Pic 3), a B.S.A.three-wheeler in totally un-touched condition (Pic 4),and apiece of motoring history called‘Bloody Mary’ (Pic 5) built by

John Bolster, and powered by two v-twin J.A.P. engines taken out of crashedSS100 Broughs!I can remember seeing images, on black and white telly, of motor racing withcommentary by Raymond Baxter, and when the cameras switched to the pits,there was a good old boy in a deerstalker describing the action - John Bolster.Well, his hill climb car is really special and still running.As you might imaginethere was an excellentlunch, and I don’t getto many bike eventswhere there are ladiesin floral print dressesand wide brimmedstraw hats, sippingPimms. Very P.G.Wodehouse and all thebetter for it. Was it asuccess? You bet!

Pic 2

Pic 3

Page 6

Next year? Yes please. I wonder if the riders in the inter varsity races wereawarded a ‘Blue’?

Pat Sproston, Louth, Lincolnshire

References: British Motorcycle Racing Circuits: Mick Walkerwww.systonparkspeedtrials.com

Pic 4

Pic 5

Page 7

R. H. Dale – Rider Profile No. 29Dickie Dale was born in Lincolnshire on the 25thof April 1927.

Interested in bikes and road racing from an early age,it was inevitable he would one day race at the Isle ofMan. Entering the 1948 Manx Grand Prix Light-weight and Junior races on a Moto Guzzi and Ve-

locette respectively, he did well in practice and headed the leaderboard in theLightweight class.

True to form, he finished in first position for the 250cc Lightweight, sevenminutes ahead of E.A Barrett (Moto Guzzi) and P.D. Gill (Excelsior) – onlythree replicas were awarded! In the Junior, he came home thirteenth on hisVelocette. Dale then entered the Isle of Man TT from 1949 to 1960, ridingvarious machines. His best results being: 1950 (seventh place in the Junioron a Norton), 1957 (fourth place in the Senior on a Moto Guzzi – his bestever result at the island) and 1960 (fifth place in the Senior on a Norton).

During the ‘50’s Dale competed with better results in the Continental GPswith several Italian works teams. His best years being 1955 and 1956 whenhe finished second in the 350cc World Championship behind his Moto Guzziteammate Bill Lomas. Dale won the 1954 Spanish 500cc class at Montjuic(on an MV Agusta), and the 1955 Italian 350cc class at Monza aboard aMoto Guzzi.

He won his final race in the 350cc class atNurburgring, Germany on the 30th ofApril 1961. In the 500cc race at the samemeeting, while battling for the lead, hewent off the road and later died on his wayto hospital in Bonn.

Dickie Dale was 34 years of age.

Dorothy Greenwood

Page 8

TRIAL RESULTSBillown Glen - 18th October 2015

Dry conditions saw the first four riders on the Vintage 'A' route lose onemark apiece. Application of tie-breaking rules saw the win go to SammyBall, followed by Kevin Whiteway, Shaun Huxley and Jim Davidson, whileAndy Sykes lost two to win Vintage 'B'. On the Invitation 'A' route, PaulSmith won from Colin Scarffe and evergreen Stuey Clague was a clearwinner of Invitation 'B'. With less Youth riders present than usual, TobyLace beat Dylan Groom in Youth Invitation 'A', whilst Kaytlyn Adshead hadthings her own way in Youth 'B'.

VMCC Members 'A' route1. Sammy Ball (Fantic) 1 mark lost2= Kevin Whiteway (Triumph) 12= Shaun Huxley (James) 14. Jim Davidson (Triumph) 15. Brent Seal (Yamaha) 26. Steve Lace (Triumph) 37. Ashley Gardner Jnr (BSA) 68. Geoff Griffiths (Fantic) 79. Ashley Gardner (Triumph) 1810. Andy Wilson (Fantic) 30

VMCC Members 'B' route1. Andy Sykes (Rigid Bantam) 22. Jon Duncan (Yamaha) 183. Steve Taylor (Honda) 224. Ian James (Yamaha) 315. Mike Ellis (Kawasaki) 386. Michael Ulyatt (Yamaha) 98

Invitation 'A' route1. Paul Smith (Fantic) 12. Colin Scarffe (Triumph) 43. Mike Stevens (Gas Gas) 64. Nigel Woods (Honda) 75. Daniel Smith (Triumph) 8 (29x0)6. Richard Skillicorn (Bultaco) 8 (26x0)7. Jason McNee (Bultaco) 98. David Harding (Triumph) 159. Paul Ansermoz (Yamaha) 21

Invitation 'B' route:1. Stuey Clague (Fantic) 12. Keith Thompson (Scorpa) 53. Phil Pemberton (Gas Gas) 104. Sean Booth (Ossa) 125. Peter Peniata (Triumph) 15

Youth Invitation 'A':1. Toby Lace (Beta) 282. Dylan Groom (Gas Gas) 31

Youth Invitation 'B':1. Kaytlyn Adshead (Beta) 7

Page 9

Dhoon Quarry – 15th November 2015

Shaun Huxley (James) cleaned the A route to win the penultimate round ofthe VMCC championship at the Dhoon Quarry, the overall result going tothe last round. Andy Sykes (Rigid BSA) dropped one on the B route to pippal Peter Blackburn (Cub). Invitation A was also cleaned by Tom Maddrell(Gas Gas) from Ian Lees (Yamaha) on four. Paul Doherty (Yamaha) had thebest ride on the B route being the only adult to clean it. Three on the A routewas the winning score for Ella Doherty (Beta) in youth A. Ever improvingBobby Moyer (Beta) cleaned the B route to win his class.

VMCC Members A route1. Shaun Huxley (James) 0 marks lost2. Kevin Whiteway (Cub) 33. Sammy Ball (Fantic) 44. Steve Lace (Triumph) 45. Jim Davidson (Cub) 66. Neil Kerruish (Yamaha) 237. Andy Wilson (Fantic) 35

VMCC Members B route1. Andy Sykes (Rigid BSA) 12. Peter Blackburn (Cub) 23. David Haynes (Triumph) 144. Jon Duncan (Yamaha) 215. Steve Taylor (Honda) 38

Invitation A route1. Tom Maddrell (Gas Gas) 0 marks lost2. Ian Lees (Yamaha) 43. Daniel Smith (Cub) 64. David Harding (Cub) 135. Paul Smith (Fantic) 156. Daniel Woods(Beta) 17 (23 cleans)7. Nigel Woods (Honda) 17 (22 cleans)8. Richard Skillicorn (Bultaco) 209. Mark Moyer (Montesa) 21

Invitation B route1. Paul Doherty (Yamaha) 0 marks lost2. Keith Thompson (Scorpa) 13. Billy Booth (Fantic) 74. Peter Peniata (Cub) 95. Phil Pemberton (Gas Gas) 226. Jonathan Watts (Scorpa) 26

Youth A route1. Ella Doherty (Beta) 32. Dylan Groom (Gas Gas) 15

Youth B route1. Bobby Moyer (Beta) 0 marks lost2. Kaytlyn Adshead (Beta) 43. Josh Blackburn (Beta) 7

Page 10

The Nursery Hotel

Pic 1

The Nursery Hotel in Onchan was built in the early 1800's and wasowned by the Spittle family. It was a house for the head gardener, a Mr.Peter Polind. Before it became an hotel the grounds around the housewere used as a garden nursery - hence the reason for the name “NurseryHotel” in later years.

The Spittle family sold the house and its grounds to Castletown Ales and, asan hotel, it was managed for a long time by a Mr. Forester. During theSecond World War, the hotel was managed by the Whitehead family. In1959, when Honda first entered the TT, the manager of the hotel was a Mr.Webb. From 1964 to 1970, the hotel was managed by Mr. and Mrs. Griffen,together with their daughter Vicky and son Carleton. Castletown Ales waslater bought out by Heron and Brearley who continued to run the Nursery asa pub and hotel. Under the ownership of H and B managers changed quitefrequently and the hotel was finally closed down in 1988 when a new pubcalled the Archibald Knox was built in front of the Nursery.

Page 11

Going back to 1959, the Honda team (PIC 1) brought with them four HondaBenly Super Sport motor cycles to use as practice bikes when learning theClypse course. This was the first time that these models of motorcycles hadbeen seen outside Japan and, to put it mildly, they caused quite a stir. Two

motorcycle report-ers at the time, DaveDixon (PIC 2) andJohn Griffiths, werelucky enough to begiven a test ride onthe bikes. They bothgave the bikes glow-ing reports in theirmotorcycle papersof the day.

Sadly, none of theoriginal 1959 Ben-lys used for learningthe Clypse course,and as runaboutbikes for the crew,are known to still

exist. What is known is that these bikes had aluminium fuel tanks, alloy rims,alloy front mudguards, alloy frame side covers, magnesium alloy hubs andbrake plates – all very exotic stuff for road going bikes in 1959! In addition,the engines were fitted with air scoops fitted to the left side of the barrel tohelp cooling (PIC 3) - the engines having been built as 150cc units to givethem more power for the climb up to the Creg. Although some of the exoticcomponents were to be lost during the Benly’s short production run, it wouldstill retain its racing lines through to 1964.

Roy Moore (a work colleague before we both retired) lived not far from theNursery Hotel and, as some of you will doubtless know, he is a wellinformed and welcoming voice on the radio when racing is taking place, beit the TT, MGP or the Southern 100. Roy mentioned that when he was ayoung lad he collected racer’s autographs and he had in one of his bookssome of the Japanese riders’ autographs from 1959. Roy most kindly let mehave photocopies of them which I am most grateful for (PIC 4).

Pic 2

Page 12

In 1959 the Nursery Hotel hadtwo paths leading up to it, the longpath was rarely used and had aclosed gate at the end. Early onemorning a race bike was startedup and two young boys, who werenot far away, went to investigatethe noise. It was, in fact, the Hon-da RC 142 works race bike beingprepared (PIC 5) and the boyswatched as the bike was warmedup and then ridden up the longpath at quite a pace. Perhaps pre-dictably, with leaves and moss onthe unused pathway, when the rid-er came to the closed gate, at somespeed, and hit the brakes - downhe went! I doubt we will everknow who the rider was but the

young boys who witnessed Honda's first “crash” on the Isle of Man werenone other than Roy Moore and his cousin Geoff Cannell. (PIC 6) (seen herewith John Molyneux at Nursery Bends in 1959).

During TT week in1992, I held a VJMCget together in thegrounds of the by nowclosed and boarded upNursery Hotel. I like tothink of (PIC 7) as per-haps a look back intothe past of both theNursery Hotel and Hon-da (the owners of thesethree 1964 Honda Ben-lys were John Kennish(IoM), Arthur Patterson(USA) and his brotherAlan Patterson (Wales).

Pic 3

Pic 4

Page 13

Pic 5

Pic 6

Page 14

Late in 1992 Shopritebought the NurseryHotel and its groundsthen, in 1993, it wassadly knocked downand the plot levelled.In 1999, Shoprite ob-tained planning per-mission to build a newstore on the land andthe Nursery Hotel wasconsigned to history.

I sometimes think it is perhaps a pity that Honda did not have the foresightto buy the hotel and turn it into a tourist attraction /museum - as Honda'sfirst step in the TT races (would that have worked out? Who knows?). Butcertainly the Nursery Hotel in 1959 was the place to be if you wanted to seethe new Honda racers (PIC 8) – Tanaguchi and Bill Hunt) and witness thestart of a commitment to competing at the TT which still shows no sign ofending.

John Dalton

Pic 7

Pic 8

Page 15

What could possibly go wrong?Whenever there is a lull at a motorsport event (in this case it’s believed to bethe Southern 100 from the early ‘50’s), the organisers can be relied upon towheel out something to keep the crowds amused. A photo from the sameevent shows a marginally more sensible race where the “passengers” arebeing towed while hanging on to a car tyre, but being towed in a pram – acrossa bumpy grass field - really shows a very healthy disregard for one’s ownsafety.

Photo by Amulree

A Moment in Time

Page 16

Given that the Section’s Trials Results always take up a few pages ineach issue, I thought it might be helpful to explain what the variouscategories actually mean, what happens at a trial and what a trials bikeis made up of.

The CategoriesEach event has “A” and “B” routes, A being the more challenging. Riderswill usually choose the route that’s appropriate to their skill level and theirbike’s capabilities. Bikes entering the Vintage class must adhere to theVMCC’s 25 year rule in that either the bike’s engine or frame must qualifyalthough, as you will see below, it’s not always a simple matter to determinea bike’s age. Riders competing in the Invitation class are, as the namesuggests, invited to ride by the Section and may use modern machinery.

The Youth class is for riders aged 16 or under.

The EventIf you’ve ever attended any sort of bike sport event, the paddock will be veryfamiliar. Bikes are unloaded from vans, people sign on, and last minutefettling of gear, machines and riders takes place. At the appointed time, theriders move off en masse to the first section and then things get a bit strangefor the first time viewer.

Having arrived at the first section, the riders will usually stop their bikes,park up and inspect the section on foot. Much knowledgeable prodding andpoking of the terrain takes place, the idea being to plan your perfect routethrough the section (needless to say, moving rocks and other obstacles isfrowned upon). Once a rider is satisfied that they have visualised their route,the bike is fired up again and the section tackled. Riders tackle a section

All you need to know aboutTRIALS

Page 17

when they’re ready, not in any specified order. The object of the exercise is“simply” to traverse the section without having to touch the ground withyour feet (or any other body parts for that matter). Sections can varyenormously in length but are all designed to test the riders’ control over theirbikes. If you do have to put a foot to the floor (a “dab”), you accumulatepoints, the rider with the lowest points score at the end of the event being thewinner. Honesty is very much the order of the day, with riders regularlyadmitting to dabs that might have been missed by section observers.

One aspect of VMCC trials that makes life (a little) easier for competitors isthat all the sections are “natural”, that is to say there are no man-madeobstacles like skips, pipes, pallets etc. to negotiate. As one rider put it: “Itmakes it more possible to have fun, and less likely to have to phone work onMonday and explain that you’ve damaged yourself.”

The BikesUsing David Haynes’ rather splendid Triumph as an example, a trials bike’smajor components can be broken down as follows.

Wheels / tyres

Page 18

Front tyres will typically be 21 inch items, the rears being 16 inches. Tyrepressure is critical if maximum grip is to be found and it’s not unusual to seetyres run as low as 4/5 psi in the hunt for optimum traction.

EngineAn absolutely smooth, linear, power delivery is the key to trouble freeprogress through a section and the balancing act between valve timing,ignition timing and carb settings is one that can take much experimentationto get right. Because maximum power is not the name of the game, compres-sion ratios are far lower than for road bikes, 5:1 and 6:1 being common.

GearboxOnce a rider has entered a section, they will usually not change gear until thesection has been completed, first or second gear being the most commonchoices. This is why, unlike race/ road machinery, there is a large gapbetween the gear lever and the footrest – you don’t want to accidentallyknock the gear lever if you find yourself having to wave a foot around tokeep your balance!Depending upon the available budget, riders will either use the stock gearboxand a very large rear sprocket or fit a wide ratio gearbox. Wide ratiogearboxes will typically have first, second and third close together with a biggap to fourth (and possibly fifth), giving the bike a bit more usability for the

Page 19

road. That said, most vintage trial machines would be into the red zone in topby 45mph!

Petrol tankAs small as is mechanically possible. Not only because fine balance wouldbe disturbed by petrol splashing about inside a road bike sized tank, but asmall tank gives the rider more room to position their legs and keep thingson course.

Frame/ forks/ shocksThe Section applies a fairly relaxed approach to a bike’s running gear. If not25 year’s old, the frame and forks have to look like the parts that a machineof that era would have been fitted with at the factory, but aftermarketreplacements are allowed. Given the hammering that a competition bike’sframe will have suffered over the years, this allows riders the option ofrepairing/ upgrading the original parts or fitting something completely new(it is perhaps worth noting that not all vintage trials organisers take thisapproach so, if you decide to go down the replacement frame/ forks route,do check these modification would be allowed before submitting an entry).One technological advance that is not permitted on bikes competing in theMembers’ categories of Section events is a monoshock rear end. Althoughthere are now monoshock machines that would qualify under the rolling 25year rule, they are only permitted to compete in the Invitation categories.

Page 20

Page 21

Page 22

BOOK REVIEWBy Jonathan Hill

Page 23

“BSA Motorcycles – the final evolution”Presented for the first time in one book, the new-for-1971 range of BSA andTriumph motorcycles (including the 350cc d.o.h.c. twins, the innovative Ariel 3mopeds, projected D18 Bantam and the X-75 Hurricane), are all detailed indepth, along with related promotional and racing activities. Photo shoots, thelavish series of brochures and adverts that emanated from them, and projectedand actual colour schemes are also presented with great accuracy.

By delving into the archives of several historic institutions, a comprehensive accountof the hitherto largely ignored massive infrastructure investment that took place atBSA’s Small Heath works during much of 1970 is revealed, along with its re-organised North American setup. Also included is an equally fresh and detailedappraisal of BSA’s financial situation, from the dawn of the 1970s, until its oblivionin 1973.

Besides the many new revelations, this book contains an impressive collection ofextremely rare factory photographs, many of which have never been publishedbefore, and are thought to be the only copies in existence. We learn that against goodadvice, Chairman Eric Turner (no relation to Edward Turner), insisted on appointingthe arrogant and aloof Lionel Jofeh from outside the industry. Jofeh demanded a hugesales promotion of the new machines in the U.S., despite being told that due to staffshortages BSA could not deliver until 1972. The publicity was a great success but, aspredicted, the machines were not available, costing them a fortune in lost sales. It isinteresting to read that the new oil-bearing frame was the result of the new Americanemission laws demanding not only larger silencers but large air boxes and air filtersto cut the induction noise, thus eliminating the existing oil tanks.

American BSA Inc. President Peter Thornton “resigned” when it was discovered thathe had previously bribed somebody at BSA to “lose” the names of the other jobapplicants. We read how the Manganese Bronze auditors demanded that BSA sellthree successful (non-motorcycle) companies at a knock-down price or go intoliquidation and how insider trading on the stock exchange (with the dealer beingstruck off) resulted in the company share prices crashing. Gross mismanagement,incompetence, bribery and corruption are the main ingredients of this sad, butexcellent, story – a story where we will probably never discover the full truth.

Author: Brad Jones - Foreword: Stephen Mettam, formerly BSA Motor Cycle Division Chief StylistPublished by Veloce Publishing Ltd., Veloce House, Parkway Farm Business Park,

Middle Farm Way, Poundbury, Dorchester, Dorset DT1 3ARTel.: 01305 260068 E-mail: sales@veloce.co.uk Fax: 01305 250479

Hardback, 210x255mm (portrait); 144 pages with 200+ photographs and illustrations.ISBN 978-1-845846-47-3 £30 (UK); $49.95 (USA)

Page 24

January 2016Thursday 14th Club Night 8.00pm Knock Froy, Santon.

Speaker – Richard Rosenthal

Sunday 17th Trial. Old Stoney Start 1.30pm

FebruaryThursday 11th Club Night 8.00pm Knock Froy, Santon.

Speaker - Tim Penn President VMCC

Sunday 21st Trial. Scarlett Start 1.30pm

March Additional celebrity charity event being arranged - tbcThursday 10th AGM & film show. 7.30pm Knock Froy, Santon

Sunday 20th Trial. Ballagarraghyn (Handicap Trial) Start 1.30pm

AprilSunday 10th Road Run and tea party. Old Laxey Harbour

1.45 for 2.00pm start. Finish at Guard House Café, Jurby. Organiser Jim Crook

Page 25

Machines created specifically for military service have ranged from thesublime to the ridiculous over the years but few have the ability to turnheads quite like the German ‘Kettenkrad’.While visiting a vintage vehicle show at Kelso, fellow Scottish Sectionmember Colin Barnett and myself had the opportunity to inspect one of thesefascinating vehicles at close quarters and have a long conversation with theowner, who later demonstrated it in action. This particular machine was animmaculate example and came complete with mounted replica rifle andPanzerfaust (an anti-tank ‘rocket’).

The Kettenkrad takes it’s namefrom Kretten, meaning tracked,and Krad, an abbreviation ofKraftrad, the German military ad-ministrative term for a motorcy-cle. Its official service designationwas the SdKfz2 (Sonder Kraft-fahrzug – special motor vehicle).Designed and built by NSU atNeckarsulm, and later also pro-duced under licence by Stoewer ofStettin, the Kleines Kettenkraftrad

HK 101 came with a special SdAnh 1 cargo trailer. It was designed to beused by airborne troops, and was the only light gun tractor which could becarried inside the fuselage of a Junkers 52 transport aircraft. To this end ametal guide canal was bolted to thefuselage floor, and the Kettenkrad’sfront motorcycle wheel was placedin this, enabling it to be driven intothe aircraft and parked without acci-dent.Kettenkrads featured in the invasionof Crete by German paratroops andsubsequently served on all fronts,though most saw service in Russia as

Kettenkrads and Flying Fleas

Page 26

communication cable layers and gun and cargo tractors. Towards the end ofthe war the SdKfz 2 was used as a runway tug for the Me 262 jet, in order toconserve precious aviation fuel.The 1500cc 36bhp Opel Olympic petrol engine was water-cooled, andsituated between the driver’s compartment and the rearward facing seat forthe other two crew members. The driver sat on a saddle mounted above thegearbox and clutch housing, and had a pair of rubber kneepads mountedbelow the dashboard, which, together with the handlebar steering and twist-grip throttle, must have served to convince him he really was riding amotorcycle. The twin 4.5 gallon petrol tanks were carried above the trackguards. The Kettenkrad had both a standard (3 speed and reverse) and anauxiliary gearbox giving high / low ratios so that six forward speeds couldbe obtained.The driver’s other controls, apart from the right hand twist-grip throttle andthe main and auxiliary gearbox pre-selection levers, were a clutch pedal onthe left, a handbrake on the left of the gearbox cover, a footbrake on the rightand a radiator shutter control inside the bodywork on the left.The front wheel, which was of the pressed-steel disc type, wore a 3.5 x 19inch tyre. The track assembly followed the usual half-track pattern of, oneach side a driving sprocket, four equal-sized double-rimmed bogie wheelsand an idler wheel. The odd (counting from the front) wheels were narrowwith radial spokes while the even numbers were wide pressed-steel discwheels, the former running between the rims of the latter. Each trackconsisted of 40 forged steel links, mounted with rubber shoes.The driver steered by means of the handlebars, slight movements operatingthe front wheel and more positive ones activating the track-braking systemfor tighter turns, especially on rough terrain. This was achieved by twotake-off rings at the bottom of the steering column, connected by arms torods on the brake cross-tube. These, in turn, activated levers, the ends ofwhich were linked by adjustable rods to the steering brakes, which were ofthe internal expanding type, mounted in each drive sprocket. The brakescame into play for turns of over 5 degrees – a movement, in either direction,of about 1¾ inches at the handlebar ends.The Kettenkrad had an overall length of 9 feet and an overall width of 3 feet3 inches. It weighed 2690 lbs unladen and had a trailer capacity of approxi-mately ½ ton. Top speed on roads was approximately 40 mph at 3000 rpmwith a special ‘emergency’ speed of 51mph attainable ‘only in exceptional

Page 27

circumstances’. Fuel consumption was 17 mpg on roads and approximately12 mpg across country. Ignition was by Bosch coil and distributor, the 6 voltbattery being housed above the right track guard.The owner told us the Kettenkrad was ‘huge fun’ to drive, though hementioned it was best used cross-country as wear on the rubber track-padson surfaced roads was rapid and expensive to replace. Production of theSdKfz 2 was halted in 1944 after roughly 8,300 units, but resumed againafter the war until 1949, as the versatile Kettenkrad was extensively used inagricultural and forestry industries. Those interested may care to look onYouTube where a number of Kettenkrad video clips can be seen, includingsome taken on the Elephant Rally, which seems like an excellent place tohave a tracked motor-cycle…At the other end of the military vehicle spectrum, a common design founditself in use by opposing sides during the Second World WarThe machine in question came into being pre-war, as a result of DKWrefusing to supply their 98cc model to the Dutch importers, Stokvis andSonnen, when they discovered the company had Jewish directors. UnderHitler’s anti-semitic ruling, DKW promptly cut off supplies. HoweverStokvis and Sonnen, undaunted, approached Royal Enfield in England andrequested they produce an equivalent two-stroke machine for them. Theresult was a 125cc Enfield (Pic 1), almost identical to the 98cc DKW (Pic 2)except for increased engine capacity and a deflector-topped piston.Dubbed ‘The Flying Flea’, the little Enfield went on to serve with theairborne forces as well as being a ‘troop shepherd’ on the Normandy beach-es. Meanwhile the Wehrmacht were simultaneously using large numbers ofthe 98cc DKW for rear zone duties. One can only assume that both sides hadmore pressing matters than worrying about infringement of copyright!

Allan Jermieson Scottish Section

Pic 1

Pic 2

Page 28

For those of you who attended this year’s final Test Day, I’m sure youwill agree that understanding weather, a relaxed atmosphere, plenty oftrack time and plenty of space on track made for a thoroughly goodway to spend a Sunday.

However, there are a lot of folks reading this who haven’t taken advantageof the Section’s Test Days and, if you’re not sure whether it’s really foryou, please do bear in mind:

· It’s not a race! You are free to ride at whatever pace suits you andyour bike.

· Jurby is quite a long circuit and there are rarely more than twentybikes out at any one moment so you won’t be fighting for space.

· The back straight gives you an opportunity to stretch your bike’slegs in a way that you simply couldn’t do safely on the roads. Thatmight sound a little childish on first reading but, other than strap-ping your bike to a dyno, where else could you satisfy yourself thatyour engine has no breathing problems anywhere in the rev range?

· It’s free (or at least the Test Days to date have been!).

See you next year?

All photos by Vic Bates, for copies please contact Vic at vic@vicbates.com

Out and About 1FINAL 2015 JURBY TEST DAY

Page 29

Page 30

Out and About 2

It’s been fifty years since the Isle of Man first hosted the InternationalSix Day Trail event and, to commemorate that anniversary, a green lanerun was held on November the 8th, which took in sections from the1965, 1971 and 1975 events. Although not compulsory, period machin-ery was very much in evidence with Ossa, SWM, Triumph, CZ and Villaall being represented.

The weather, unfortunately, was doing its best to replicate the conditionsexperienced by competitors in 1965. Apparently, by the end of the first day’sriding in 1965 there were barely a third of the original starters left, which ledto a hurried “relaxing” of the rules to ensure there would be at least somefinishers. Thankfully, the attrition rate for the anniversary run was not quiteso high!

ISDT REMEMBRANCE DAY RUN

Page 31

Page 32

If you’ve ever wondered what happens when the Section attends a bigshow, wonder no more. Richard tells all about the recent trip to Stafford.

October 15th saw our happy band comprising Ros, Chris, Tony, Job and mein the lounge on the morning boat to Heysham with vans packed, stands,fittings and bikes loaded and Government and Steam Packet leaflets collect-ed and ready to go. Rupert, the advance party, had left earlier in the week ona bike collecting mission.

The Classic Bike Show at Stafford has been targeted as our principaladvertising medium for Isle of Man events and the Classic Manx in particu-lar. Our trip was fully supported by the DED, the Steam Packet Companyand Wemoto - our faithful and generous sponsor.

The dash down the M6 was uneventful and we all arrived, including Rupert,at Tillington Hall, our HQ for the event. Wemoto had delivered a huge arrayof posters, handouts and tee shirts - all free of charge. These were squeezedinto the vans making transportation considerably quieter!

Friday’s activities centred around setting out the stand. Bikes on displayincluded Chris’ immaculate DT175, Tony’s T200 Suzuki and a trio of bikesfrom Rupert; a CB750 Race Replica, a rare 350 Ducati race bike and his

jewel-like veteranRoyal Enfield(pre Grey Squir-rel).

Friday afternoonwas spent talkingto early arrivals,including fellowexhibitors, andgenerally prepar-ing for Saturday’sextravaganza(PIC 1)

Stafford Show Report

Pic 1

Page 33

Saturday morning, with wrist bands attached and passes produced, we werein position and ready to go before the doors opened at 9:30. The crowds builtduring the morning and we were kept busy chatting to “would be” visitorsand seasoned campaigners, discussing our events in particular and the Isle ofMan in general. We were also happy to see a number of Isle of Man residentswho were intent upon purchasing that elusive part. Photographs really donot do justice to the atmosphere of the event where such interest andenthusiasm abound. The day passed quickly, bolstered by copious amountsof Ros’ fabulous cakes (which were both delicious and plentiful), and theteam took turns to take a break and look around the glittering array ofmachines and to visit other stands.

Sunday in general isa little less manicthough still verybusy. The teamagain swung intoaction with great in-terest shown in thestand, with the dis-play bikes examinedand admired - re-sulting in many andvaried questions be-ing asked (PIC 2).

As you will be aware, Wemoto had supplied us with a large number of“Festival of Jurby” tee shirts, completely free of charge, and which havebeen steadily selling since this year’s Classic Manx, including a goodnumber sold at the stand. All this activity resulted in a figure in excess of£10,000 being raised for the Manx Helicopter Fund. In the afternoon, duringthe Mortons’ chat show, special guest John McGuinness was presented witha suitably large cheque by Rupert, representing Wemoto and the Isle of ManVMCC in support of the Manx Helicopter Fund, which is a fantastic achieve-ment (PIC 3). Not to be outdone, later Tony also presented a cheque for asignificant sum to Colin Seeley for his charity, which had been raised at theARE Collection (PIC 4). This concluded our show but then everything hadto be re-packed for our return, never an easy task at the end of a busy day.All in all, a good and useful undertaking which continues to show that we

Pic 2

Page 34

have much to offer visitors, and information given out on a one-to-one basisis worth a thousand words in print. Well done to the whole team!

Richard Birch

Pic 3

Pic 4

Page 35

A hearty welcome to these 13 new members:-Ian Manley, Braust Cottage, Oatlands Road, Andreas, IM7 4ERDavid Cowley, 20 Keppel Road. Williston, Douglas, IM2 6NTAndrew Jessopp, Seacliffe, Old Castletown Road, Ballaveare, IM4 1BBPaul Deadman, 14 Sandringham Drive, Onchan, IM3 4HHJohn Jakes, 2-4 Peel Street, Ramsey, IM81JHAndrew Cowie, Wencelling, Grove Mount, Ramsey, IM8 3HFAndy Stewart, 30 Carrick Park, Sulby, IM7 2EYPaul Mordue, 15 Derby Road, Douglas, IM2 3ESJeff Wade, 1 Harbour Road, Onchan, IM3 1BGMichael Clark, 96 Ballamaddrel, Port Erin, IM9 6AZColin Scarffe, Rose Cottage, The Braaid, Marown, Douglas, IM4 2AWBarry Teare, 19 Slieau Curn Park, Kirk Michael, IM6 1EHSteve King, Ballakneen, Main Road, Stanton, IM4 1JB

Page 36

When this seminal piece of motorcycling literature first appeared, theCoronation of Elizabeth II was still three years in the future and mynewest ride was a Triang Tricycle. The most recent Senior TT, startedby none other than Prince Phillip, had been won by H.L. Daniell on aNorton at 93mph. Yet in 1950 Ixion had already been writing for ‘TheMotor Cycle’ for nearly half a century and had reported Rem Fowler’swin in the first Senior forty odd years before at a then astonishing speedof 36.22mph. Ixion’s motorcycling career had begun before the dawn ofthe 20th century, and he would still be writing for ‘The Motor Cycle’ (theoriginal publishers of ‘Cavalcade’) in 1960.

Ixion was the nom-de-plume of Canon Basil Davies. As his pen-name indi-cates, Davies was a classics scholar who first rode a motorcycle in 1898when at Oxford. He was a churchman first and foremost but inventive,practical, clever, not lacking in guts and definitely not afraid to get hishands dirty. Like most of the pioneer motorcyclists, he had also been akeen cyclist, and when you realise how much pedalling early motorcyclinginvolved, this isn’t in the least surprising. In fact early motorcyclists devel-oped middle-age heart conditions at a rate only equalled by university oars-men. Given all the problems the first motorcycles had, I’m almost amazedour predecessors persisted with them – but the reason, as the author ex-plains, was exactly what has always attracted men and women to motorcy-cles – a sense of freedom far beyond what the average bicycle could offerthem … at least when the machine worked properly.

Most things, in fact, did go wrong with early bikes – Ixion’s catalogue ofthe accidents and mechanical failures he experienced is staggering. Ma-chines were beautifully painted and enamelled but had the most primitiveignition, carburetion and lighting systems, no suspension, bicycle size tyreswhich were practically bald from new, totally inadequate brakes, constantlyslipping drive belts and an almost complete lack of clutches and gears. Arider baulked by a slow moving wagon on a hill would have to go back tothe bottom and try the ascent again. Often the power unit, built of untried

‘Motor Cycle Cavalcade’ by Ixion

Page 37

and usually unsuitable metals, would be chewing its internals to pieces eve-ry few hundred miles.

Added to this was a hostile constabulary and judiciary (nothing new there!)plus the outraged fury of the horsey public and the incredible fact that in1900 ‘there was not one square yard of either tarmac or concrete on Brit-ish roads’. Highways were covered in dust and pulverised animal drop-pings, repairs affected by dropping tons of unlevelled material on the spotrequiring it. Motorcyclists rode into the dustclouds of preceding cars andemerged so filthy no hotel would admit them. ‘I was in an indescribablecondition of filth, filmed from head to foot with .. loathsome powder … myeyes, ears and nose were full of it..‘

However this is not just a book of remi-niscences, in fact it’s a serious historyof technical developments, of the emer-gence of different disciplines of motor-cycle sport, of the social and economicinfluence of the machine, and the majorpart played by motorcycling organisa-tions like the Auto Cycle Union and theMotor Cycling Club, in setting up trialsand competitions as a means of expos-ing the inadequacies of the machinesthen in production and by the emergentmotorcycle press in reporting and com-

menting on these. Factory owners were often complacent, mostly bicyclemanufacturers who regarded motorbikes as a profitable sideline and hadlittle interest in new developments. However, the pressure to improve theirmotorcycles generated by such publicity forced them to introduce, amongother things, the efficient clutch and the multi-speed gearbox, and invest inresearch into metallurgy and electrics.

Ixion himself took part in many of these events while reporting on them,trying out new machines and equipment, in particular variable gears. Hisattempt on the Land’s End to John O’Groats record in 1904, riding an Or-monde, is an epic of endurance and hilarity.

‘I was doing between 60 and 70mph when I ran plunk into a small bevy ofsheep asleep on the roadway .. a parabola over the handlebars, and I re-

Page 38

gained consciousness after an interval, wondering where on earth I was ..some thirty yards off the road, but there was no sign of my machine.I ultimately discovered it, very little bent, some seventy yards further downthe hill kicked it straight, and resumed..’

Later he became stranded in a Pitlochry hotel awaiting parts. ‘The weatherwas blisteringly hot, and my solitary suit consisted of a special Hoare mo-torcycle outfit, constructed of thick Harris tweed, interlined with the finestsheet rubber to render it stormproof . The next four sweltering days Ixionspent in his room in his underwear, eating room service meals and readingnovels brought him by the bellhop. Needless to say, he failed to take therecord.

Ixion’s was a more or less solo effort. Riders sponsored by manufacturersand dealers were accompanied by mechanics with sidecars full of sparesand swarms of white-clad ‘toughs’ on pedal cycles, who were positioned todirect the would-be record breaker through confusing road junctions, chasesleeping sheep out of the way, and negotiate with Highland ferryman forthe transport of man and machine (those attempting the ‘end-to-end’ record

A 1902 Ormonde motorcycle. The 1904 model had the engine moved tothe more conventional position within the main frame loop.

Page 39

had the option of taking the ferries across the Beauly and Forth, whichshortened the actual ride by 20 miles but made no difference in time).

Ixion had a fine command of language, and it’s doubtful if anyone else hadthe knowledge, ability and insight to write such a book at the time. He alsohad what must have been an essential requirement for motorcyclists of theday – a good sense of humour. This got him into trouble with Joe vanHooydonk, the designer and manufacturer of the Phoenix motorcycle. Everthe classicist, Ixion could not resist asking him whether his bike embodiedthe qualities of its legendary namesake, i.e. how often it was likely to burstinto flames. The short fused van Hooydonk ‘became extremely angry .. apint or two calmed him, and we parted good friends’.

The soothing (and otherwise) effects of liquor feature extensively in thechapter on country inns, both here and abroad, for Ixion rode widely in Eu-rope between the wars, usually in company with other motorcycle journal-ists covering major European races and trials. I have to say the hostelriesdescribed sound less sophisticated but a lot more fun than most of today.One of Ixion’s friends discovered that many inns which had been postcoach stops in earlier days still possessed cellars of fine brandies, claretsand ports, drinks no longer in fashion with their present clientele. Thisman’s mission for the next few years was to range the old inns of Englandon his motorbike, inspecting their cellars and making the landlords shrewdand irresistible offers for these alcoholic leftovers of a bygone era, whichwere then despatched to his home address by railway. This to me sounds asclose to the perfect motorcycle tour as it’s possible to get.

However it would be best to sample the full flavour of Ixion’s stories your-self – if you acquire a taste for them he also wrote two volumes of motor-cycling reminiscences which are now available on-line. ‘Cavalcade’ is afascinating book crammed with information – I didn’t know, for example,that the sidecar owed its invention to a humorous cartoon by Percy Kemp,and the chapter on early alternative means of carrying a passenger otherthan on pillion is a high-spot of hilarity.

Allan Jermieson Hawick

Published by Peel Copy CentreTel: +44 (0)1624 843889

Page 40

Page 41

Page 42