LE MOT Day 2016

Jack Lilley Triumph

It has been a motorcycling week with the LE Owners Club on the last Tuesday of the month followed by a ROG's run on the Thursday and an MOT on my 1963 Velocette LE on Friday at Jack Lilley's motorcycle shop. 

My LE, not so standard and in the dry!

Tuesday was to have been the MOT day but had to be moved because day time had other things going on. There was much discussion at that meeting over the Motorcycle Cavalcade where Ixon was extolling the virtues of the “Everyman” motorcycle with the LE. His comment then which is just as valid now in the engine should have been a larger capacity. He thought it needed at least a 350 cc engine. How about a TRW engine as an alternative? I think I could do that with a bit of strengthening of the bodywork. Talk of wiring and 12 volt conversions finished off the evening. On to Thursday with a blast out with the gang, some 17 of us, from Ryka's covering some 200 miles during the day with lunch at the Crown and Anchor at Dell Quay near Chichester finally ending the day at Billy's on the road on the A 29 for a final mug of tea and leaving Museum fliers for other unsuspecting bikers to find.

Bikes all over the car park.

Now Friday was a mixed bag of weather with rain, sleet, snow, hail and a bit of sunshine just to get to Jack Lilleys in Ashford for the MOT. I got a bit wet on the way. You may ask why there and it is historical. I've used them since 19992 when I moved into that area and pretty much ever since although I live quite a bit further away than I used to. It is always a challenge to ride a fifty something year old bike on dual carriageways and busy roads against much faster traffic. While I was waiting watching the guys do the MOT I had a good look at Jack Lilley's Triumph. It is a much modified 3HW the war time 350 cc rigid rear end with girder forks. 

It has AMC telescopic front forks, a small petrol tank, a minuscule oil tank and the only alloy barrel and head seen on a Triumph of that era. It uses BSA Gold Star cams. It cost £170 in 1946 to put together. Nine were made and sold at £180. Not allot of profit there. Jack Lilley was an excellent trails rider and won the first trial he entered this bike into. It was quick enough to do scrambles and grass tracking! 

Quite a surprise to read the information sheets and I don't think many people look very closely at them or the bike. It now sits on the edge of the waiting area balcony. It used to reside near the entrance but I guess didn't quite fit the image of the modern Triumphs. I certainly didn't take much notice of it until this day. I could have got much better photos of it then!

Museum of Berkshire Aviation

london-motorcycle-museum.org

Drive It Day 2016

As I have done in previous years it is a trip out with the 2CV club. A convoy of seven cars left the start point at Runnymede. I was in my El Cid (a Mehari replica). It was a nice dry day with a bit of sunshine and it would have been good to get out there on a bike and I'm sure many of you did. 

I still have the book by Ixion rattling around in my head with the progress that happened very early on in spite of the lack of adventurous designs and high risk of failure around an unknown product. That product has evolved into a very sophisticated piece of kit around a petrol engine that came out of the dark ages and back into the “Dark Ages” this time with aviation. The trip out was to the Museum of Berkshire Aviation, at Woodley near Reading, with the history of locally built aeroplanes from Handley Page and Fairey. 

There were some incredible models and so much information about everything that many of us took a break to be able to read more. There were guides to help us and there were some interesting discussions about the designs. Of great interest was the jet rotor where the jet engines were mounted at the ends of a helicopter rotor blades and spun them around at phenomenal speed. I wouldn't have wanted to be around if one of them came loose! 

As this history of aviation covers two world wars motorcycles were not left out. There is a nice red Corgi to see and also many of the famous pilots were also enthusiastic motorcyclist-must be something to do with death or glory stuff? 

There efforts have been well represented at Brooklands and there are snippets around that reflect this. It is a small but excellent museum packed to the rafters with aircraft and models with information about everything.

 I had walked around with some aircraft buffs and so much of what we had achieved technologically was streets ahead of everyone else at the time and so many of the ideas were later put into practice in modern aircraft and hailed as new! I enjoyed the visit immensely. I'll visit again after my brain has settled down after being immersed in so much mechanical history. It is not expensive to visit and cheap enough to drop in if you only have half an hour at £3.50 for adults and £2.50 for seniors. I'll be going back again with more fliers for the LMM.

Motor Cycle Cavalcade

www.london-motorcycle-museum.org

IXION

Not many people have heard of this man. He was one of the first motorcycling journalists. He saw the birth of the motorcycle and he was an avid motorcyclist taking part in adventures on his 1903 Ormonde covering up to 200 miles in a day on this single speed machine. He wrote a book in 1950 the Motor Cycle Cavalcade that describes the history of the motorcycle 1884 to 1950, early developments up to, what was then, the modern motorcycle. I have found it fascinating reading as he describes the escapades and feats of mechanical endurance of those early machines and what he regarded as the best for 1950 that included a Brough Superior, a Vincent and surprisingly a Velocette LE. 

In the 1900's the reliability of some machines was not good with valves burning out and fading performance but the major problems were from punctures eminating from the poor conditions of the roads and the surfeit of nails shed form horse shoes and hobnail boots! Those early machines were built with speed in mind having a high single gear that could get you to speeds of over 40mph! The downside was that hills were a challenge with furious pedalling to just keep going. The freewheels were not good and frequently seized from ingress of dust so you could easily have a surprise when going at speed! 

What was around 1900 to 1903.

The maintenance on these early machines was simple and easily done at any time but by 1911 when the first TT on the Isle of Man was held over the mountain course it was soon evident that more than one gear was needed. The first TT was held in 1907 on a short flat Peel-Kirkmichael circuit and won by C R Collier on his single cylinder Matchless at a speed of 38.22mph. Rem Fowler won the twin cylinder class on a Norton at a speed of 36.22mph. The change of circuit forced manufacturers to get into gearboxes and the 1911 winner was a two speed, chain drive Indian ridden by O C Godfrey at an average speed of 47.63mph! 

TT heroes.

This book has shown me another dimension to what early motorcycling was about, there started then and still exists today a level of camaraderie and enthusiasm in sharing what is a singular pursuit. My great thanks to Pete who has leant me this treasured book to read as it is no longer in print and almost unobtainable.

On my travels I have just returned from Barcelona and another visit to the Museo Moto there. They have changed the display and now have the history of motorcycles with machines from 1913 to the 50's.

1913 FN

                            1974 Lambretta