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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.

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Cover Picture:- From the 2009 Vintage Rally comes this sturdy chap makingprogress on his Gilera. The weather might slowly be improving but a spot of rainshouldn’t put you off enjoying your vintage machinery!

Editor: Harley Richards joand.harley@virgin.net

Page 2 Chairman's Chat

Page 3 Yellow Belly Notes - “Paris in the Springtime - ish"

Page 7 VMCC Trials Report & Championship Results 2015

Page 10 Trials Results

Page 12 IMPORTANT STUFF

Page 13 George W. Pratchett

Page 22 Book Review:

"Harley-Davidson: The Era of the Two-Stroke Motorcycles"

Page 24 Forthcoming Events

Page 25 Some facts about the ACU Benevolent Fund

Page 26 Out and About

Page 28 The Life & Times of Gerald

Page 36 A Moment in Time

Page 37 New Members

Page 37 Flogger's Corner

Page 38 Rider Profile No. 30 - Gary Hocking

Photo by Amulree

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

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At long last the weather has started to play ball and thoughts of motorcyclingreturn to most of us - although we have several hardy souls who ride throughoutthe year, hats off to you.

The AGM has now taken place with no significant changes to report, financesappear in good order, everything looks positive and the coming year should beeven more interesting. Please keep checking the local press, Facebook and ourweb site for updates, there are plans afoot!

Remember that April's “Bring and Buy” club night will be at the Vagabondsrugby club for a trial night, NO decision has been made to move away from thePeveril club house permanently. Closed roads parade entry forms are availableon our web site and Facebook but be aware that these have changed regardingentry requirements so please read the forms carefully, and don't forget your rallyand Jurby entry forms, why not enter everything and give yourself a treat?

I'll keep it short and I look forward to seeing you at our events.

Safe riding - Richard

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Yellow Belly NotesParis in the Springtime - ish

For a long time now I have thought that France is a source of vintagebikes that has been untapped for years. Few bikes were imported fromFrance before the Second World War and, consequently, little is knownabout them. When I casually mentioned that Bonhams were having anauction in Paris in February, my wife said “I’ll book the hotel and theflight from Birmingham then.” Hmmm!

The venue was the Grand Palais (Pic 1), which seems to be what London’sCrystal Palace would have looked like but for the unfortunate fire. It wassmart, and Paris smart at that. The auction was mainly a classic car do butthere were several French bikes which I was there to see, starting with a 1911Clement (Pic 2). The engine looks almost the same as the Swiss Motosaco-che that was used by Royal Enfield. The running boards look like skate-boards and the handlebars were the antithesis of clip-ons. It did not sell with

Pic 1

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the last bid at £10,200. Maybe my theory of there being bargain bikes to behad in France was looking a bit shaky.

Pic 2

Pic 3

A 1910 Rene-Gillet (Pic 3), looked a lot more sporty and the only partmissing, as far as I could see, was the final drive belt. The firm supplied theFrench army and police with its robust machines and many of the v-twins

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were fitted with sidecars. It sold for an all-up price of £12,531. A crackingbike but, again, not cheap!

1888-9 is what I call a ‘proper’ vintage era, and Lot no. 227 seemed to beperfect. It was a De Dion-Bouton tricycle (Pic 4). Some years ago when Ifirst went to the ASI meeting at Varano in Italy, I saw the amazing sight ofthree De Dion-Boutons racing in wet conditions - no messing, wheel towheel racing. In fact, in their heyday they were successful in a race run fromParis to Bordeaux and it is highly probable that most of the long distanceraces at that time were run on little more than dirt roads (early photos of themountain TT course spring to mind). Close inspection of the bike revealedno frame number and, more importantly to me, no history. So although I hadregistered to bid, I kept my hands in my pockets and watched this one go for£9,200 all-up.

Paris was great fun, much cheaper than London and of all the exotic cars thatwere also for sale, the one that caught our eyes was a 1972 Renault Alpine(£73,398). Perfect for a car track-day at Cadwell Park (Pic 5 - Managementconsidering her next purchase).

Pic 4

Pat Sproston. Louth. Lincolnshire.

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Pic 5

Classic Motorcycle Restoration,to your budget. Bike Rebuilds,

Paintwork, Metal Polishing,Professional Motorcycle Valeting

& Detailing Service

www.motoclassix.commotoclassix@gmx.com07624 498626 (Sulby)

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The IOM Section of the VMCC's Trials season comprises of 10 events,of which 8 are for the Club Championships, plus 2 which 'stand alone'- being the Handicap Trial and the Geoff Cannell Memorial Trial. 2015saw these off-road events contested by a total of some 110 riders, withan average of 40 for each event. That is about the same level of activityexperienced on the Club's road runs.

The driving force on the organising side is Sean Seal and his small group ofhelpers, who have built an excellent reputation amongst the local Trialscommunity. Once again they provided a super season of sport for riders onboth old and new machinery – BSA, James, Bultaco, Ossa, Montesa,Kawasaki, Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki, Gas Gas, Beta, Scorpa, etc. These wereridden in classes ranked as 'A' (hard) and 'B' (easy) and sub-divided intoVMCC Members, Invitation (Adults) and Invitation (Youth).

First event of the year was at South Barrule Quarry in January, withfollowing events spread across the Island, finishing at Knock Froy inDecember. It was 2014 champion Steve Lace who took the opening roundat South Barrule in Vintage 'A' class, although he did not sustain hischampionship challenge in 2015, for he spent much of it getting to gripswith his shiny new Triumph twin. After a few 'shake-down' events, it wasgoing as well as it looked. Both Steve's Triumph and that of David Hayneswere an aural delight for spectators when given a handful of throttle.

The most consistent runner in Vintage 'A' during 2015 was probably KevinWhiteway, followed by Shaun Huxley, Sammy Ball and Jim Davidson.However, while Shaun's form proved a bit variable, come the final roundand the Championship was between him on his James, and Kevin on hisTiger Cub. Shaun took the win on the day and the Vintage 'A' championship,with Kevin as runner-up.

There was a different story in Vintage 'B', where ever-consistent AndySykes won every round he contested on his immaculate rigid BSA Bantam,finishing well clear of Jon Duncan, Peter Blackburn, Ian James and others.

ANOTHER YEAR OF SPORT2015 VMCC TRIALS REPORT

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Riding several different bikes during the year, young Daniel Smith took theChampionship win on Invitation 'A' route, to repeat his victory of 2014. Thiswas another class that was not resolved until the last round however, whenDaniel had to withstand pressure from Paul Smith, to take victory on the dayand clinch the Championship.

In Invitation 'B', Billy Booth and his Fantic finished the year tied on pointswith Keith Thompson (Scorpa). Billy showed the worth of scoring points inevery round when contesting a Championship but, although Keith did notride as many rounds, he took the overall win for having two victories to hisname. Peter Peniata found his 'new' Tiger Cub to his liking and finished inthird spot. Support in the Youth Invitation classes was a bit up and down innumbers, but Fraser Heginson won Class 'A' from Dylan Groom and EllaDoherty, while Class 'B' went to Kaytlyn Adshead, from Bobby Moyer andOscar Lace.

In the two non-Championship events, it was Andy Sykes (Rigid Bantam)who won the Handicap Trial at Ballagarraghyn in March, while Brent Seal(Yamaha) took the Geoff Cannell Memorial Trophy at a sunny Bim's Fieldin May. A generous selection of trophies were presented to riders at theAnnual Dinner, some with names which will bring back memories within theClub – the Bob Thomas Trophy, the Harry Cardy Memorial Trophy and theRoger Quayle Shield.

Vintage 'A'1 Shaun Huxley (PIC 1)2 Kevin Whiteway3 Sammy BallVintage 'B'1 Andy Sykes (PIC 2)2 Jon Duncan3 Peter BlackburnBest VMCC Four-StrokeKevin WhitewayBest VMCC Two-StrokeShaun HuxleyInvitation 'A'1 Daniel Smith (PIC 3)2 Paul Smith3 Colin Scarffe

Invitation 'B'1 Keith Thompson (PIC 4)2 Billy Booth3 Peter PeniataYouth Invitation 'A'1 Fraser Heginson2 Dylan Groom3 Ella DohertyYouth Invitation 'B'1 Kaytlyn Adshead2 Bobby Moyer3 Oscar LaceHandicap TrialAndy SykesGeoff Cannell TrialBrent Seal

VMCC TRIALS CHAMPIONSHIP RESULTS for 2015

David Wright

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Photos courtesy of Brian Maddrell Trials Collection copyright 2016

Shaun Huxley

Dan

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mith

Kei

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pson

Gallery2015

Andy Sykes(courtesy of Juan Brain)

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TRIALS RESULTSStoney Mountain Quarry - 17th January 2016Conditions were testing for this trial, particularly for some of those who had movedup a Class for the new Championship Year. It was Kevin Whiteway who took firstplace in Vintage 'A' on his Tiger Cub, while Andy Sykes extended his long run ofwins in Vintage 'B' on his rigid Bantam. Invitation 'A' Class had a new name in firstplace, that of Beta-mounted Jason Whittaker, whilst multiple winner in the field ofroad-racing, Chris Palmer, took first in Invitation 'B'. In Youth Invitation 'A', FraserHeginson finished ahead of Kaytlyn Adshead.

VMCC Members 'A' route

1. Kevin Whiteway (Triumph) 13 marks lost

2. Jim Davidson (Triumph) 16

3. Steve Lace (Triumph) 18

4. Shaun Huxley (James) 24

5. Sammy Ball (Fantic) 33

6. Brent Seal (Yamaha) 40

7. Gwilym Hooson-Owen (BSA) 45

8. Ashley Gardner Jnr (Triumph) 57 (13x0)

9. Ashley Gardner Snr (Triumph) 57 (10x0)

10. Andy Wilson (Fantic) 65

VMCC Members 'B' route

1. Andy Sykes (Rigid Bantam) 30

2. Geoff Griffiths (Triumph) 40

3. Mike Ellis (Kawasaki) 41 (14x0)

4. David Haynes (Triumph) 41 (13x0)

5. Jon Duncan (Yamaha) 46

6. Ian James (Yamaha) 48

7. Steve Taylor (Honda) 54

Invitation 'A' route

1. Jason Whittaker (Beta) 21

2. Paul Smith (Fantic) 27

3. Daniel Smith (Suzuki) 28

4. Mike Stevens (Gas Gas) 34

5. Nigel Woods (Honda) 37

6. Tom Lee (Montesa) 46

7. Martyn Kissack (Bultaco) 49 (16x0)

8. Keith Thompson (Scorpa) 49 (14x0)

9. Sean Booth (Ossa) 56

10. Jason McNee (Bultaco) 60

11. Peter Clague (Montesa) 65

12. Robert Clague (Montesa) 70

13. Brian Kinrade (Fantic) 71

14. Martin Booth (Fantic) 80

15. Billy Booth (Fantic) 98

Invitation 'B' route

1. Chris Palmer (Gas Gas) 29

2. Paul Doherty (Yamaha) 35

3. Carl Smith (Montesa) 37

4. Mike Vinton (Sherco) 48

5. Jonathan Watts (Scorpa) 49

6. Peter Peniata (Triumph) 50

Youth Invitation 'A' route

1. Fraser Heginson (Beta) 26

2. Kaytlyn Adshead (Beta) 79

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Scarlett - 22nd February 2016Victory at Scarlett in Vintage 'A' class went to Kevin Whiteway, from Jim Davidsonand Shaun Huxley. The familiar name of Andy Sykes once again headed Vintage'B', from Ian James and Steve Taylor. In Invitation 'A', Paul Smith took the winfrom David Harding and Nigel Woods, while in Invitation 'B' the top three wereBarry Teare, Paul Doherty and Peter Peniata. In Youth Invitation 'A' the win wentto Katylyn Adshead.

VMCC Members 'A' route:1. Kevin Whiteway (Triumph) 0 marks lost2. Jim Davidson (Triumph) 1 (f/clean)3. Shaun Huxley (James) 14. Sammy Ball (Fantic) 65. Ashley Gardner Snr (Triumph) 116. Brent Seal (Yamaha) 14VMCC Members 'B' route:1. Andy Sykes (Rigid BSA) 02. Ian James (Yamaha) 183. Steve Taylor (Honda) 304. Philip Crellin (Suzuki) 355. Jon Duncan (Yamaha) 436. Michael Ulyatt (Yamaha) 83Invitation 'A' route:1. Paul Smith (Fantic) 32. David Harding (Triumph) 4

3. Nigel Woods (Honda) 94. Daniel Smith (Sherco) 105. Mike Stevens (Gas Gas) 196. Jason Whittaker (Beta) 28 (22x0)7. Jason McNee (Bultaco) 28 (17x0)Invitation 'B' route:1. Barry Teare (Gas Gas) 12. Paul Doherty (Yamaha) 33. Peter Peniata (Triumph) 9 (6x1)4. Robert Taylor (Gas Gas) 9 (5x1)5. Chris Palmer (Gas Gas) 136. Billy Booth (Fantic) 147. Carl Smith (Montesa) 198. John Pearson (Suzuki) 93Youth Invitation 'A' route:Katylyn Adshead (Beta) 36

Handicap Trial - Ballagarraghyn. 20th March 2016

Run over a single route, the VMCC's annual Handicap Trial is heavilyweighted in favour of older bikes and even older riders. The man to takeadvantage of that at sunny Ballagarraghyn was Andy Sykes on his 1949Rigid BSA Bantam. He lost 9 marks on observation and received a handicapof 32 to give a total of 41 marks. That was good enough to give him theoverall win and best in VMCC Members Class. The Invitation Class went toPaul Smith with a loss of 83. Ride of the day was from young Bobby Moyerwho lost just 2 marks on observation, but was handicapped with another 142marks, to make his total 144. Runners up on observation were Kevin White-way and Daniel Smith, both losing 5 marks.

Cont. overleaf

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VMCC Members:1. Andy Sykes (Rigid BSA) 9+32=41 marks lost2. Kevin Whiteway (Triumph) 5+56=613. Shaun Huxley (James) 7+58=654. Sammy Ball (Ossa) 7+58=655. Mike Kerruish (Fantic) 29+76=1056. Jon Duncan (Yamaha) 49+64=1137. Keith Thompson (Scorpa) 12+103=1158. Mike Ellis (Kawasaki) 59+61=1209. Robert Taylor (Gas Gas) 36+97=13310. David Haynes (R/Enfield) 93+53=14611. Steve Taylor (Honda) 77+72=149Invitation Class:1. Paul Smith (Fantic) 4+79=832. Paul Doherty (Yamaha) 15+69=843. Daniel Smith (Suzuki) 5+100=1054. Billy Booth (Fantic) 39+68=1075. Phil Pemberton (Gas Gas) 11+98=109

6. Peter Clague (Montesa) 14+102=1167. Mark Moyer (Montesa) 11+106=1178. Carl Smith (Montesa) 30+89=1199. Chris Palmer (Gas Gas) 22+99=12110. Mark Sutton (Montesa) 13+112=12511. Bobby Moyer 2+142=14412. Michael Kelly (Gas Gas) 42+103=14513. Kaytlyn Adshead (Beta) 6+143=14914. Richard Smith (Suzuki) 83+70=15315. Richard Freeman (Honda) 89+64=15316. Graham Wilson (Honda) 89+68=15717. Mike Vinton (Sherco) 56+102=15818. Corey Peters (Beta) 12+146=15819. Paul Moore (Yamaha) 119+67=18620. Summer Peters (Oset) 43+148=19121. Peter McParlin (Yamaha) 113+80=19322. Cayden Higgins (Oset) 134+149=283

It has been mentioned elsewhere in the magazine but please note that April’s clubmeeting will be held at the Vagabond’s Club House, rather than Knock Froy. If youhaven’t been there before, it is on the approach road to Noble’s Hospital and youturn right into the clubhouse car park rather than left for the hospital. To avoidanyone turning up at Knock Froy, please pass this information on to any membersyou might be speaking to between now and the meeting.

As Tony made clear at the AGM, we are not moving from Knock Froy but, as thenumber of members attending club nights continues to increase (which can only bea good thing), we are finding that the more popular evenings (like April’s Bring andBuy) can lead to standing room only. None of us are as young as we were andstanding for a couple of hours, even when there are bargains to be had, can be achore.

Also, as mentioned in the last issue, I am looking to hand over the editorial reins inthe near future so, if that sounds like the sort of thing you would like to know a bitmore about, please do get in touch.

Harley

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George W. Patchett:English uncle of the Jawa two-stroke, father of the Sterling sub-machine gun

The name of George William Patchett springs out at us from the recordsof British motor-cycle racing in the 1920s. In 1925 Patchett won theWelsh TT on Pendine Sands, carrying off the famous dragon-crestedtrophy. In those days the Pendine race, run over a hundred miles withlaps of 2.5 miles, regularly attracted crowds of between thirty and fortythousand. A photograph of the winner shows Patchett cradling thetrophy clad in his typically eccentric racing gear which featured brightplaid golf hose complementing boots and leathers. For Patchett was anindividualist, not only as a rider but also as an engineer and designer.His winning machine was a Brough Superior SS100 - not surprisingly,for Patchett was part of George Brough's engineering team. As a resultof this victory, future SS100s bore a red dragon emblem on their tanks.In 1927, the final year before the Pendine races changed their name from theWelsh TT to the Welsh 100, Patchett had another win, this time on a Broughsidecar outfit with L.V.Thomas as his chair passenger.

In 1926 Patchett went to work for Old Etonian Michael McEvoy, who hadfounded his own marque while still an engineer with Rolls-Royce Derby (Pic

1 Patchett(right) andMcEvoy).McEvoy's firstmodels, pow-ered by Black-burn, JAP andAnzani en-gines, appearedat the 1925 Ol-ympia Motor-cycle Showresplendent inthe companycolours of ma-Pic 1

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roon, gold and black, which were in fact his old school house colours. Thefollowing year the company re-located to the Leaper Street works, launchedits new JAP-powered OHV sports model V-twin, a guaranteed 100mphmachine, and engaged George Patchett as Competitions Manager. Anothernewcomer was Archie Birkin, brother of Sir Henry `Tim' of Bentley fame,who provided much-needed financial backing. As well as the large capacityV-twins, McEvoy now extended his range down to lightweight models usingthe 172cc Villiers engine.

Villiers produced two versions of this engine. One was the Standard Sports,which had a cast iron piston, fixed cylinder head with twin exhausts, andutilised the standard Villiers variable ignition. The other was the SuperSports TT, which had a detatchable die cast aluminium cylinder head, theflywheel magneto which was one of the company's most successful innova-tions, and the Villiers patent lubrication system, which supplied oil accord-ing to engine load and had no moving parts. This was achieved by havingfour lateral ports drilled in the crankcase journals, the outer pair allowing the

release of a percentage of thecompressed gases in thecrank chamber which wereforced out through grooves inthe main bearing bushes and,via a union at the crankcasefront, up into the oil tank. Thebuild up of pressure in thespace above the lubricant inthe tank forced the oil up apipe into a flush- fitting dripfeed, from where it flowedthrough a pipe into the cylin-der. Similarly oil was also fedthrough separate passages tothe crankshaft bearings andvia the drilled crankshaft tothe roller bearing.

Both models were, like all thecompany's engines, noted forsimplicity, reliability, andfew moving parts. McEvoy

George Patchett pictured at theIsle of Man TT in 1932

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machines, using variants of these power units, competed very successfullyin the 1928 ISDT and it was these engines which George Patchett would latertake with him to Jawa.

Meantime George himself was still competing as well as managing - hisname appears in the riders list for the 1926 Senior TT, riding a McEvoy,together with that of Gus Khun, who rode a Douglas.

In 1927 McEvoy produced a competition model powered by the JAP`KTOR' engine, an overhead valve 980cc v-twin. There were also designsfor an OHV single and a four cylinder model, but sadly these were never toreach production, for the next year the company suffered a mortal blow whenArchie Birkin was killed in the TT Races. The death of their principalinvestor signalled the end for McEvoy, and the company ceased trading in1929.

At this time a number of British motorcycle engineers and designers leftEngland to work abroad. Walter Moore of Norton went to Germany andNSU, Dougal Marchant moved to Motosacoche in Switzerland, and GeorgePatchett went to FN in Belgium.

However it was at a motorcycle show back in England that George was tomeet his future long-time collaborator, Frantisek Karel Jun., son of thePrague inventor and arms manufacturer Frantisek Karel Janecek. FrantisekJunior's parents had met by the unusual circumstances of a road accident -his mother, Baroness Carolina Strijk van Lindschoten, was the daughter ofthe car driver who knocked Frantisek Senior off his bicycle, and from thisunlikely beginning romance bloomed. After service on the Italian Front inWW1, Franisek Sen. returned to his workshop and drawing board andproduced patents for munitions of various sorts, the most successful beingfor a type of grenade. However, by the late 20’s the armaments industry wasin decline - grenade manufacture had stopped due to lack of demand, and in1928 the development of a replacement for the obsolete Scwarzlose automat-ic weapon by a rival firm led to the end of machine-gun orders.

Frantisek Sen. and his son, now aged twenty-five, looked to diversify - afterconsidering typewriters and sewing machines, their choice fell on the manu-facture of motor vehicles. Their chosen entry point into this new industrywas motorcycles and their first venture, in October 1929, was the manufac-ture under licence of a copy of the 'Wanderer', a 500cc 18hp four-strokeshaft-drive single formerly produced by the German company of that name

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at their factory inChemnitz, Saxony.At the risk of repeat-ing information eve-ryone knows, areminder here thatthe happy inspirationfor the JAWA namecame from the com-bination of the firsttwo letters of Janecekand Wanderer. TheWanderer, thoughexpensive and, untilmodified, prone tofront fork fracture,was modestly suc-

cessful, but the reces-sion of the following

year convinced the Janeceks that a smaller, lighter motorcycle, cheaper tobuy and run, was what they needed to give the public. Enter George Patchett,and with him, the Villiers 172cc engine with which he was so familiar.George was in complete agreement with the Janeceks about the type ofmotorcycle they needed to produce to catch the market, and on his arrival heimmediately set to work on its design.

In the first year of production not only the power unit was to come fromEngland but also gearboxes, carburettors, chains, wheel hubs, magnetos andheadlamps. However, the frame, devised by George and his design team,was Jawa's own, being welded from stamped metal sections, as were theleading link forks. George reworked the exhaust system, which initially didnot feature a silencer. Launched at the Prague Motor Show in Spring 1932,the new Jawa (sold for about one third the average price of a new motorcycleunder the slogan of 'More machine for less money') was an immediate andresounding success. By the end of the year over 3000 Jawa 175s had beensold, almost three times the number of Wanderers sold in three years.

The following year reliance on imported parts had been greatly reduced.Engines were now manufactured under licence from Villiers, and onlycarburettors, chains and magnetos were still being bought from England. For

Patchett with a 1934 Jawa

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the first time, that year’s income from motorcycle sales topped that fromarmaments by a ratio of almost 6:1.

The future seemed assured, but George Patchett had not forgotten thepublicity value of racing wins in promoting a factory name, and bothJaneceks were supporters of factory participation in competition. Georgewas essentially an innovator, an ideas man who had extensive practicalracing experience, and he was fortunate in having a group of designers atJawa who could take those ideas and run with them. George's first racemachine was a half-litre single he had begun work on while with FN. Itsnickname, `The Box', indicates the massiveness of its engine construction,although the machine had reliability problems. George's subsequent 350racers were successful in national races, but at first lacked the speed to rackup international wins. His 1935 350 works racer was a state of the artmachine, featuring girder forks, a separate four-speed box and a top speed ofover 100mph. Tuned versions of the side-valve Jawa 350, added to the rangein 1934, were successful in the ISDT in Germany that year. Another version,ridden by Frantisek Juhan, was competed in track races.

However it was in the racing development of the 172cc engine that the mostradical ideas were implemented. In 1934, the third series of productionmodels spawned a water-cooled competition version with a central radiatormounted under the tank. Also in the same year came a supercharged racingversion with the supercharger mounted in the crankcase base. Three yearslater came a four-stroke 175 single with `X' pattern push rods and a carbmounted atop the cylinder head. Later still came a double-overhead camshafttwin fitted with a chain-driven Rootes supercharger. The prototype alsofeatured a tubular steel frame and telescopic front forks.

Success crowned the innovations of the Jawa design team, both for worksriders and privateers. As early as 1930, Frantisec Brand, who competed intrials, road and track events, had raced a 500cc Jawa in the TT, and in 1933two English Jawa riders obtained 5th and 6th placings, one of them,G.Woods, averaging 121 mph. From 1932 to 1938 Czech Jawa riders wonat least one Gold Medal in successive ISDTs, and in 1937 they returned withfour. George Patchett, as Competition Manager, led the ISDT teams andusually competed in the events. In 1933 George set a Czechoslovak flyingkilometre speed record of 179.5 kph riding a modified 500cc Jawa fitted witha streamliner, adding yet another to the list of records he had acquired in hismotorcycle career.

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But as the international scene darkened, and German militarism becameincreasingly threatening, both George and Karel Junior developed otherdesign interests. George had become interested in light automatics - Karel inanti-tank weapons, in particular the taper-bore gun.After the German occupation of Sudetenland in 1938, Karel Jun. undertookregular visits to England in an attempt to interest the British War Office inhis ideas. He was in fact in England in March 1939 when he heard the newsthat Prague had fallen. Sensibly, he stayed, covering his absence by thestory, leaked to the Nazis in his homeland, that he was collecting informationon British research into armour-plating. In reality, he had been recruited byBritish Intelligence.In Prague, George Patchett realised his days with Jawa were at an end. At apre-arranged time, he carefully wrapped Karel's two adaptor prototypes,rode to the British Embassy, and threw the weapons over the compoundwall. Stuffing his jacket lining with the plans and blueprints, he headed forthe border. He was prepared to have to talk his way through the check-point,but it proved unnecessary. The guards were busy listening to a radio broad-cast from the Fuhrer - they waved him through, and George walked to safety.Karel's prototypes were hidden by embassy staff inside a sofa. When thestaff and furnishings were evacuated back to Britain, the prototypes wentwith them, eventually to be re-united with their designer.When hostilities broke out between Britain and Germany, both George andKarel were working on defence projects, George in Dagenham with SterlingEngineering and Karel Jun. in Birmingham with BSA. To protect Karel'sremaining family in Czechoslovakia, British Intelligence leaked the storythat he was now being interned in Canada as an enemy alien.Karel, now going under the name of Littlejohn, a literal English translationof his own surname, continued with his development work on the taper-boregun. In time, his adaptors would greatly improve the firepower of Alliedweapons but, unfortunatley, not until their efficiency had been proven by theGermans, who had applied the same principles earlier in the war.George Patchett meantime had become chief designer at Sterling Engineer-ing and in 1944 the General Staff issued a new set of specifications forsub-machine guns. George submitted a model of the Patchett gun (a heavilyredesigned version of the earlier Lanchester carbine) which ticked all theboxes. The Army were impressed enough to order a number of guns fortrials; the Ordnance Board conducted these and reported the Patchett gun'suitable for service'.

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It wasn't in fact until well after the war, in 1951, that George's weapon wasselected to be the British Army's replacement for the Sten, and not until1953/54 did full issue to fighting units begin. Here, sadly, things becameacrimonious, for Sterling Engineering decided to change the name of thegun, which had been known all through the long years of development as thePatchett, to their own - the Sterling Sub-machine Carbine. George was not,naturally, happy about this, and in 1955 he and the Air Ministry took SterlingEngineering to court over 'Dispute as to Royalties on use of Patent forCarbine Gun' in what has since become a much-cited case. Those interestedin delving into the complexities of it may find the entire transcript in theNational Archives.However George's gun, though it may no longer have carried his name, wasto become one of the great firearm success stories. It was the standardsub-machine gun of the British Army from 1953 till 1988 and even made itinto space! Look closely at the Imperial E-11 Blaster Rifle and the DH-17Blaster Pistol in the original `Star Wars' film trilogy - both weapons areSterlings, much-modified by ILM Props Dept. No doubt George would haveseen the funny side of that.

Allan Jermieson Scottish Section

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

George Patchett designed Jawa 350 sohc from 1938.

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Just after World War Two, there was a real demand for cheap and economicaltransport. The Harley-Davidson factory, which had previously only producedlarge capacity machines, saw the need to produce lightweight motorcycles toanswer those demands.

This major decision was made a lot easier when the US and British governments weregiven the complete design specification of the pre-war 125cc DKW as part of the WorldWar Two reparations – from which the BSA Bantam also evolved. After HD had madethe necessary technical and cosmetic improvements, the imaginatively named Model125 went on sale in 1948. These American-built machines, generically known as theHummer, were later available in 165 and 175cc capacity until 1966. In 1960, the Topperscooter was introduced with a new 165cc reed-valve horizontal two-stroke engine, arope start and “Scootaway drive” constantly-variable automatic transmission - it wasover 40 years ahead of the modern “twist and go” scooters.

With the growing demand for lightweight machines, and their own range becomingobsolete, HD looked to Italy for replacement models. Legend has it that they initiallyapproached Moto Morini, but negotiations broke down and they invested heavily intothe ailing Aermacchi factory in Varese, resulting later in a complete take over. Aerma-cchi got the funds they desperately needed and HD acquired their expertise and theline-up of existing two and four-stroke motorcycle models. This not only included streetmodels but also the reputation of their successful competition and racing department.

A whole range of machines were imported, with HD influencing their design andspecification, from 50cc mopeds, mini-bikes, and scooters to road, enduro and produc-tion road racing machines (as well as the more well known 250 and 350cc horizontal-cylindered four-stroke models). These were badged initially as Aermacchi, Aermacchi/Harley-Davidson and latterly AMF/ Harley-Davidson - with some models only availa-ble in North America.

German technician Peter Durr, who developed and designed several engines, wasinfluential on the success of the GP and enduro models, resulting in Walter Villagaining four Lightweight World Championships and the company twice winning thefamous Baja desert races. In 1974 alone, 45,000 two-stroke Aermacchi/ Harley-David-son models were sold – but now these excellent machines are almost forgotten, and theauthor is to be congratulated on writing of this historically important book. HD sold offthe Varese company to Cagiva in 1978.

With the official authorisation of Harley-Davidson, Milwaukee, USAAuthor: Bram van Hilten Published by and available from the author:

E-mail: bvhilten@pt.lu via Paypal, E-bay and some H.-D. dealers.www.everyoneweb.com/aermacchi/

Hardback, 210mm x 300mm, 145 pages, with over 180 black and white and colourphotographs and illustrations.

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AprilSunday 10th Road Run and tea party. Old Laxey Harbour: 1.45pm

for 2pm start. Finish at Guard House Café, Jurby.Organiser Jim Crook.

Thursday 14th Club Night 8pm. Vagabonds Club House – bring and buy.

Sunday 17th Trial. Arrasey. 1.30pm start.Wednesday 27th Evening Road Run. The Old Vicarage, Kirkmichael.

7.15pm for 7.30pm start.MaySunday 8th Bob Thomas Memorial Run. TT Grandstand.

1.45pm for 2pm start. Organiser Paul Bolster.Thursday 12th Club Night 8pm. Knock Froy.Saturday 14th Trial. Geoff Cannell Memorial

Bimson Field. 1.30pm startSunday 15th Test Day at Jurby. 10.30am startSaturday 28th TT Practice week starts

JuneSunday 12th Harold Rowell Memorial Road Run. TT Grandstand.

1.45pm for 2pm start. Finish at Villa Marina.Organiser Ken Blackburn.

Thursday 23rd Evening Road Run. St Johns School opp. FarmersArms pub. 7.15pm for 7.30 start.Organiser Rupert Murden.

JulyTuesday 5th Test Day at Jurby. 10.30am start

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The Benevolent Fund was founded in 1951 to assist members of ACUaffiliated clubs and their families in times of hardship and need. Thefund is controlled by an administrative committee consisting of eighttrustees.

It is a registered charity both in the Isle of Man and the UK and is completelyindependent from the ACU, although they do make a generous contributionby providing office space and secretarial support. The Fund relies totallyupon donations, sales of the only official TT badge and limited edition MikeHailwood prints. Every penny received goes directly to the Fund.

Anyone who is, or has been, a member of an ACU affiliated club is entitledto apply for assistance, as are their dependents. The Fund will assist in timesof need, illness or bereavement.

Each centre has a Benevolent Officer who assists with applications – WynEvans is the Isle of Man Benevolent Officer and is also Vice Chairman andtrustee of the Fund.

If anyone would like more information, please contact Wyn directly.

Mrs Wyn Evans MBE 07624 433540 desandwyn@manx.net

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PIC 1Sammy Ball receives the ReaghbelTrophy for 3rd overall in trialschampionship.

PIC 2Kevin Whiteway receives theMichael Jones trophy (best 4 strokein trials championship).

PIC 3Norman Cowin receives the WilfHalsall Cup (Road Runs).

Smiles all around at the annual Section Dinner!

Pic 1 Pic 2

Pic 3

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PIC 4 - Paul Wildon-Tagg receives the Chas Craine Cup (Road Runs).PIC 5 - Nancy Thomas receives the Jack Catchpole trophy (Road Runs).

PIC 6 - National VMCC President Tim Penn raises a glass to our Section.PIC 7 - John Holt receives 3rd place for the EA Quirk Cup, most attend ances on club runs.

Pic 4 Pic 5

Pic 6 Pic 7

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The Life and Times of GeraldThere are many reasons for becoming a Morini owner and, in my case,the ultimate reason was playing too much competitive hockey in myyouth. This left me with weakened ankles and matters came to a headwhen I realised that kicking over my 1968 Triumph TR6 was no longera realistic proposition. So the hunt began for a suitable replacement.

I had never really considered a Morini as an option but, while nosing aroundthe trade stands at the Festival of 1000 Bikes (back in its Brands Hatch days)I came across a 350 that caught my eye. Unfortunately, the seller was in theprocess of packing up and heading back to Belgium so a sale was nevergoing to be on the cards, but a quick wobble around the field convinced methat a Morini might be worth exploring. I was very taken with the look ofthat particular bike as well and it was to become the template of my “dreambike”.

It was pointed out to me by my other half that Morinis weren’t exactly notedfor their robust electrics, essential if I was to have a functioning electric start,but he knew a man who might be able to assist. And so it was that thefollowing Saturday morning I found myself entering the subterranean gloomof Phil Smith’s Croydon workshop (by a happy coincidence, just ten min-utes’ walk from home). After the obligatory sucking of teeth, Phil agreed tobuild me a 350 Morini to my, visual, specification - the mechanical side ofthings would be down to him and based around a 350 Strada of uncertainpedigree but, I was at pains to point out, this must involve a 100% reliableelectric start. I was then let loose on Phil’s stash of parts and an hour or solater I had rounded up a pair of cast wheels (disc front, drum back), a set ofStrada bars, late ‘70’s tank and side panels, two seats (Sport and Strada),stock (ish) foot rests and controls and a pair of stock silencers. Cash washanded over and I went home with a huge smile on my face.

I desperately wanted a set of bar end indicators for “my” Morini but, in thosepre-internet days, that meant a trip to see BMW specialist, and traditionalist,Bob Porecha. The purchase was going swimmingly until Bob asked me whatmodel BMW the indicators were for. “Oh, they’re for a bitsa Morini.” clearlywasn’t the answer he was expecting and the rest of the transaction wasundertaken in a rather frosty silence.

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Shortly afterwards, I was back at Phil’s workshop for the “reveal” (as suchevents seem to be called these days). To the untrained eye, I imagine itlooked more than a little underwhelming (Pic 1) but that didn’t bother me atall as plans were already afoot for finishing off the paintwork, ditching therack etc. Of course, there was the small matter of that 100% reliable electricstart. Petrol on, ignition on, a bit of choke and push the button. It fired firsttime and, I am happy to report, has carried on firing first time (batterypermitting) ever since. Quite what mechanical wizardry Phil carried out toachieve this has been lost in the mists of time but, if you’re reading this inMorini Heaven Phil, I’m still very grateful.

A quick test ride was undertaken by the other half and, as a Morini novicehimself, I think he was rather taken by what a quirky pile of bits could bewhen properly assembled. This was a bonus from my perspective, of course,as a bike he enjoyed riding was also going to be one that he might be morepredisposed towards working on. Well, sometimes, anyway.

The final stage of the initial build up was a coat of paint. Applied after hoursby a friend who worked in a spray shop it was basically a medium to darkblue but, courtesy of the multiple shades of (leftover) pearl blue that wereadded on top of the base coat, it flipped from almost black to bright blue asthe light caught it (Pic 2). Oh, and the wheels turned from gold to black.Time to enjoy the Morini experience!

Pic 1

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Which I duly did and found it to be an entirely different, but equallyengaging, bike to the TR6. The Morini (who’d picked up the name “Gerald”somewhere along the line) felt like an altogether lighter machine than theTriumph, despite its heavy starter motor and associated gubbins, but thatmight have been down to the quicker steering and faster-revving engine thanany actual difference in weight. Using the Morini’s revs and extra gearmeant that outright performance wasn’t that dissimilar to the Triumph either,despite giving away 300cc in displacement. Happy days indeed.

Improvements during this period were few and far between and some wereof limited success. My other half succumbed to a set of see - through floatbowls which, granted, did look quite trick and made analysing fuel flowsimple. Unfortunately, they also seemed to become extremely brittle in thepresence of petrol and the tension needed to secure them in place would thenshatter them (something of a rather basic design flaw one might think). Astem to stern re-wire was deemed in order when the original electricalcomponents started to behave in a rather erratic fashion. I couldn’t reallycomplain too much about this development as the harness had been cobbledtogether by Phil from whatever was to hand (the “base” bike having suffereda very thorough fire at some point) and I suspect some components may wellhave been past their best when I took ownership. A Morini that looked great,ran well and now had bomb proof electrics, what could possibly go wrong?Hmmmm.

Pic 2

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I’d never owned a bike that had actually died before. Some had been well ontheir way to casualty but my tame mechanic had always managed to staveoff any trips to the morgue. However, some five years into the Moriniownership experience, I started to get a nagging feeling that Something WasNot Right with Gerald. Vibration was the main symptom and all the usual,simple, fixes like tightening up the engine bolts, balancing the carbs and soon didn’t yield any improvement. With hindsight, a trip from London toStratford upon Avon via the M25 and M40 on an ailing 350 Morini (in thecompany of a 900 Monster) might have been tempting fate somewhat. Bythe time we got to Stratford, two things were very apparent: the vibration hadreached pneumatic drill levels at certain speeds and I had lost all feeling inmy fingers. Needless to say, the ride home didn’t improve matters at all (theride in miniature - Pic 3).

Spanners, hammers, pullers and screwdrivers were duly applied to theengine and the diagnosis was not good. No, it was dreadful. While nothinghad actually broken, just about every moving part and load bearing surfacewas worn beyond the point of no return. I suppose it was some consolationthat the fact Gerald was running at all spoke volumes about the toughness ofthe basic Morini v-twin design. Some consolation? Possibly, but the spectreof a very thorough, and therefore expensive, rebuild was now looming.

Pic 3

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It was at this point that the Great Cosmic Morini Network (“GCMN”) cameinto play. We heard, through a friend of a friend, of a 500 that had beenstripped of its electrics and a few other parts but was largely complete. I tookassurances that it had been running before its stripping career started with apinch of salt, but transplanting its engine into Gerald certainly looked like afinancially viable alternative to rebuilding the 350 engine.

Initial examination of the 500’s engine didn’t throw up any real horrors andso, in true GCMN tradition, we took the engine out of the 500 and sold onits rolling chassis and the mortal remains of the 350 engine to another friendof a friend who fancied a Morini track bike.

Aha, you’re thinking, the 350/ 500 hybrid that is so highly regarded amongMorini cognoscenti – that sounds like a smart move. Well, yes, and no. Thereis no doubt that a 500 engine does drop into a 350 frame with no fuss butdon’t let anyone tell you it’s necessarily a straightforward swap. The otherhalf soon discovered that getting the 500’s carbs, pipes and electrics to fitinto the available space was something of a fine juggling act. Basically,nothing quite fitted and, while taking a few millimetres off the left hand sidepanel to clear the rear cylinder is less hassle than making up new mountingbrackets, the foul language emanating from the garage during the rebuildsuggested it was all a bit of an unexpected chore.

As an aside, while ordering up some parts for the 500 motor during itsoverhaul, I heard the most unwelcome of comments from North LeicesterMorini; namely: “Oh, you’ve got one of those engines.”. Past experience hastaught me that phrase rarely means it’s some colossally valuable factoryprototype unit but, rather, it’s an engine for which parts can be problematicto obtain, usually because of a short production run. It was definitely thelatter, the engine actually being a very early 1978 500 lump and hencequoted part numbers can be a bit misleading as Morini weren’t averse toraiding the 350 parts bins if specific 500 bits weren’t to hand. Parts, so far,haven’t been a problem but it has sometimes been necessary to have thedeceased item positively identified, as parts that are supposed to fit my 500sometimes very obviously don’t.

I’d have to say there wasn’t an obvious difference in the power delivery ofthe 500, just a little bit more of the same right across the rev range andperhaps an improved willingness to rev out to the red line (although that

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could be because the 350’s imminent demise meant not going anywhere nearthe rev limit in the last few months of its life). Either way, normal servicewas resumed and Gerald went back to being fun to ride.

And that might have been theend of Gerald’s developmentwere it not for us moving tothe Isle of Man. Now, I’d bethe first to admit that a spiritedcanter across the Mountaincan be a life-affirming experi-ence but an awful lot of theroads here are, well, awful.Add to that the rather change-able weather conditions and,

if you ride at the pace pre-ferred by my other half, youwill soon discover that thefront brake’s well - docu-mented “wooden” feel be-comes a liability. Over theyears we had experimentedwith different master cylin-ders, pad compounds, tyres,twin discs and even an un-plated disc (which, by theway, is a Really Bad Idea(Pic 4)) but there was still,on slimy Manx roads atleast, precious little differ-ence to be felt between stop-ping and sliding. It’sprobably fair to say thatmost Italian brakes of thatera would behave in exactlythe same way so it’s hardly aproblem unique to Morinisbut it was a problem thatneeded fixing nonetheless.

Pic 4

Pic 5

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There then followed a lot of careful measuring, calls to breakers and guess-work, after which a front disc from a modern Honda 500 twin and a mastercylinder and calliper from a 250 Ninja were persuaded into place (Pic 5). I’msure there are other combinations that would do the trick but those wereavailable, cheap and, just as importantly, required a minimum of engineeringto set up. Job done? Oh yes, even I (who have a legendary lack of mechanicalsensitivity) can feel that the brake is now progressive, meaning that thenearer the lever gets to the bars, the harder you’re stopping (at its mostwooden, the lever would move a bit during which not a lot happened, then itwould stop moving and if you wanted to pull up faster you applied morepressure to the now utterly immobile lever). I know that some readers willof course be grumbling at this point that they’ve never had a problem with astock Morini set up even under racing conditions in the wet etc etc. I’m jollypleased for you all but it’s my bike, it had a problem and now it doesn’t!

Of course, as any serial tinkerer will tell you, upgrading one area of a bike’sperformance will often show up inadequacies elsewhere. In Gerald’s case, a21st century front brake brought the decidedly 20th century forks and shocksinto sharp focus. Again, I have my other half to “thank” for this revelationas, apparently, it was only occurring with him at the helm, albeit at 100mph+ speeds approaching the end of the back straight during VMCC Test Days

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at Jurby. However, as one fork seal had given up the ghost, the head raceswere on their last legs and the rear shocks were undeniably past their best, Iauthorised enquiries into possible improvements while the suspension wascoming apart.

Now, although a degree of mechanical knowledge was necessary for me topass my bike test (many moons ago), it doesn’t take a lot of technical detailfor my eyes to glaze over. So when I found myself being asked to approvethe fitting of “cartridge emulators” to the forks and a set of “fully refurbedperiod Marzocchis”, I decided it was simplest to just give them both the goahead - and, yes, questions will most certainly be asked if I can’t detect theimprovements! Apparently, the ride is now “plush”, only time will tell…….

Joann O’Brien

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This shot of a post-war Manx trials event proves (if proof were needed) thatonce a rider’s back is turned, spectators will find his misfortunes hilarious(especially if they involve a “helper” having as much trouble as the riderhimself). Photo courtesy of Amulree

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A hearty welcome to these 7 new members:-

Steve King, Ballakneen, Main Road, Santon, IM4 1JBLes Miller, Cedar Lodge, Main Road, Union Mills, IM4 4LWDawn Taylor, Flat 3, 12 Victoria Terrace, Douglas, Im2 4EUAndre Midwood, 43 Mysore Cottages, Waterloo Rd, Ramsey IM8 1DXDavid Kneale, 1 Rowany Terrace, Rowany Villas, Port Erin, Im9 6LJRichard Smith, 2-4 Peel Street, Ramsey, IM8 1JHTony Temple, Uplands, Glen Vine, IM4 4AZ

Trying to reduce the boxes of TT and MGP ephemera in the attic, all pre 1982and mostly 50's/ 60's. Programmes , TT/MGP related issues OF Motor Cyclingand Motor Cycle, Davisons and other books, TT Specials 1946 to 1981 (hun-dreds). Email label-mann@manx.net with questions, availability etc.Andy Sykes

1928 Scott Squirrel Flyer – For SaleWorks machine used in 1928 & 1929 ISDT6 Days Trial events. 600cc 2 Stroke twin,water cooled, 3-speed hand gear-change.Built in the Scott Works at Shipley andretains its original Shipley WW registrationdated 28th August 1928.One of three Scott Works bikes used in the1928 ISDT ridden by C H Woods. There isa photo of this bike on Page 50 of the first Scott Selection book published by theVMCC. The bike was a reserve bike for the Scott team in the 1929 ISDT.Restored in 2008 including all cycle parts, magneto, dynamo and Pilgrim oilpump. New radiator, silencer, brakes and tyres. Rare and attractive forks. Nomajor work on the engine and gearbox. Starts well. Ridden in the VMCCBanbury Runs in 2010/11/12.Contact Dick Hodge, 611411 or Dick@Hodge1.co.uk £8,500

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Gary Hocking – Rider Profile No. 30Gary Hocking was born in Newport, Gwent,Wales and moved to Southern Rhodesiawith his parents at an early age.

A brilliant rider, he won two World Champion-ships (350cc and 500cc) in 1961 and had nine-teen World Championship Grand Prix victoriesbetween 1959 and 1962.

In 1958, when he was twenty years of age,Gary returned to Europe to compete in theGrand Prix circuits, with great success as hismany victories show.

At his first attempt in the 1959 Junior TT, he finished in twelfth place on hisNorton – a very good effort. Entered in the 1960 Lightweight 250cc TT onan MV he finished first, second was Ubbiali (also MV mounted) withProvini coming home third on his Morini. For the Lightweight 125cc race,the positions for Ubbiali and Hocking were reversed with Taveri taking thirdplace (all were riding MVs). For the 1961 TT, he managed a second place inthe Junior race but retired in the other classes.

Gary Hocking’s final Isle of Man TT, in 1962, was a sensational perform-ance. He finished second in the Junior behind Mike Hailwood and won theSenior – a great achievement. However, he immediately announced hisretirement and, with an agreement to end his contract with MV Agusta, hereturned home to Rhodesia.

Shortly after his motorcycling retirement Hocking commenced car racing, asport he thought would be less hazardous. Unfortunately, on the 21st Decem-ber 1962 he was killed on the Westmead Circuit, near Durban, South Africa,at the wheel of a Lotus Climax V8 – the car Sterling Moss had been due todrive but he had had to withdraw due to injuries sustained at Goodwood.

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When Gary Hocking started racing cars, experts predicted he would have agreat career. Sadly, he died at the early age of twenty five year’s old.

Dorothy Greenwood

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