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.
1974 Lambretta
No comments:
Post a Comment