HOW YOU FIND THEM #17

Manuel from Cometa Restauracions sent in these photos with a query: 'Is this a Matchless?  Did they ever use a Blackburne engine?'

A wolf in sheep's clothing...clearly the saddle tank, which looks bloated over that delicate chassis, is a later addition, meant to modernize an obsolete (by the 1940s)  but very sporty Vintage machine, with legs, so to speak.  The front brake (Enfield), gearbox (Sturmey-Archer), carburetor (Amac), and engine (Blackburne) all appear to have left the factory together.

Blackburne-engined sports bikes are rare and desirable as the engines are beautifully engineered and gave terrific performance in their day, doing well in the TT and at Brooklands.  I'm waiting for the motor and frame numbers, which will prove definitively if the engine is a racer, and the chassis is what it appears to be.

But I leave it open to you to suggest...what is the make of this mystery machine?

HOW YOU FIND THEM #16

A friend who is deeply and professionally involved with motorcycles has been looking for a good, unmolested Norton Manx for a couple of years now, and his search has yielded results beyond my imagining.

The machine is a matching numbers, barely used 1962 Manx 30M, the last year of full production at the factory, with the best equipment of this long-lived series. Double-overhead camshafts, rotating-magnet racing magneto, fabulous double-sided four-leading shoe magnesium front brake, long-range (Isle of Man) petrol tank, and the list goes on.. it even sits on the original triangular Dunlop racing tires.

As you can see from the photos, there is a hint of corrosion on the cadmium-plated (or is it satin chrome?) nuts and bolts, and the paint has oxidized a bit, but those are necessary clues to the bike's originality, strictly as per factory catalogue.

My friend says he'll replace the perished fuel lines, but that's about all - it's perfect as it sits.

HOW YOU FIND THEM #15

When you've been looking for a good Vincent Black Shadow for a while, you realize: 1. they're fairly common, 2. they're expensive, 3. most of them are lousy, 4. when you find the One You Want, grab on with your teeth and don't let go until you've done a deal.

So it was with this machine and its new owners... when ebay and various dealers failed to produce a machine which 'felt right', it took the Old Boy Network, and many months of persistence, softening up, and raising the ante, to view a '52 Black Shadow. It has matching #s, and had been sold originally as a Lightning in the US, spending almost all of its working life on dragstrips and salt flats - to no tremendous avail actually, but the modifications added to the charm of the beast, which had sat in boxes for 35 years.

Something about the history of the machine, its completeness and low mileage, and its charisma, convinced the heroes of our story that they absolutely wouldn't settle for another Vincent, this had to be the one. Thus the queries began, tenative at first ('would you consider selling?'), then more bold ('would you take x?'). Finally an audience was granted.

The story improves: on the appointed day, sitting discretely in another box was a second Shadow engine, and just about all the rest of the bike, which had been drag-raced in the 1960s, using an overstretched Egli-style backbone for a frame... and the humorous indignity of having its crankcases chromed. That's just not going to come off! But, perhaps it could be painted black....

It seemed natural to make a package deal for the entire lot, taking the former owner out of the Vincent business completely, and perhaps adding significantly to his retirement fund. A deal was struck, a handshake, a hug, a trip to the bank, the renting of a truck to haul it all home, and two Vincents will, within 12 month's time, be on the road and roaring again. The new owner is no slouch.

HOW YOU FIND THEM #14

From the 'Auckland Stuff' website:

BURIED TREASURE: Karen Amor found this 1920s motorcycle buried in her back yard. Keen gardener Karen Amor got more than she bargained for while digging her vegetable patch. The Three Kings resident found a vintage 1920s motorcycle buried under 10cm of dirt. "The wheels and the motor have corroded but other than that it’s in pretty good nick," she says.Ms Amor and her partner were digging up the lawn in the corner of the yard last week when her spade hit a metal spring.

Her partner was using a rotary hoe and hit the back of the bike at the same time. "We thought there was a lot still there so we got out the smaller spades and brushes and uncovered it. When they realised it was almost a complete bike they dug it up. "Our neighbour has lived here for 64 years and she’s never seen it. She thinks it might have been there since the war," Ms Amor says. She has shown the bike to colleagues at Turners Auctions but they have not been able to identify it.

A friend who restores old motorcycles also looked at it. "He thinks it might be an Ivory Calthorpe, which is really rare," Ms Amor says. "He thinks it’s from 1929 to 1931 but we can’t be absolutely sure because some of the defining features are no longer there." Remnants of green paint on the bike have prompted speculation that it might be an Indian Chief, used by the army.

"It would be nice to know exactly what it is," says Ms Amor. The bike’s number plate is still faintly readable but has different numbers on each side. Ms Amor can’t trace it because national records do not go back far enough.

Motat’s road transport volunteers say the bike is British and was likely made in the mid-1920s, but definitely before 1930. It also has a gate change which means the gears were changed by hand rather than by foot. But the volunteers could not say what make it was. "After much discussion it was decided it is either a BSA, a Royal Enfield or an Ariel," says Motat marketing and events coordinator Bridgette Johanson. Some of the volunteers have taken away a picture of the bike to research further.

(I don't think it's any of those mentioned; any guesses?)

Thanks to Jorge for sending this article!

Howard from Australia thinks he has the very model; below is a photo of the BSA he is convinced is the same...

HOW YOU FIND THEM #13: VELO VENOM

Dai spotted this circa 1962 Velocette Venom at the Kempton Park Autojumble last weekend; asking price £700. This is the 'Special' model, meaning cheaper! The Venom Special was sold between 1962-69, as a more economical version of the evergreen Venom; Veloce were canny about their expense-paring, and managed to make a bike which was significantly less expensive than the standard Venom. The crankcases, timing, and gearbox covers were unpolished, and the fiberglass covers over the power unit, made in conjunction with Mitchenall fiberglass (friends of the Goodman family), were cheaper than polishing up the raw aluminum castings. The hubs are cleverly disguised to appear as full-width alloy items, but have painted steel, ribbed covers over the single-sided, obsolete hubs, of which Veloce had many in stock. The petrol tank also is the 'old' 3.5 gal model (the larger 'breadloaf' 4.5g tank was introduced in '60), and ribbed aluminum strips were screwed to the sides as an alternative to chroming the whole tank. All this saved about £15 over the standard Venom (which sold for £285 in '62) - which might have been a few week's wages for the average yobbo.

The Specials were painted pale blue (see pic from the '62 Earl's Court Show, with a Viceroy scooter - the real nail in the coffin for Veloce, in back), which although very pretty, was like a blue flag indicating you'd bought the 'cheap' model. Performance (except for braking!) was identical to the more expensive model. As an indicator of how dire the economic situation had become for the British motorcycle industry after the drastic fall-off in sales post-1958 (the peak year for all Brit sales), Veloce sold only 20 Venom Specials in 1963, and 34 350cc Viper Specials.

The story of the Kempton bike is priceless though; it was recently discovered in a hedge! As evidenced by the foliage still attached to the bike, grass and bushes had overgrown and hidden the Velo for nearly 30 years. It's in surprisingly good shape for living outdoors for so long - it's possible that is was under a bit of overhead cover. The new owner has a lot of work ahead - best of luck!

Statistics taken from Dave Masters' 'Velocette: An Illustrated Profile of Models 1905-1971' (DMD, 2004), which is still available and a very useful book indeed.

HOW YOU FIND THEM #12: MYSTERY BIKE SOLVED - NEW HUDSON

Dave in San Francisco has been investigating old motorcycles in far off lands; while travelling in Nepal and India this Fall, he "saw all kinds of neat stuff, and very occasionally hung out with some wealthy Indians who also loved old bikes. The smaller dealer-types assumed I'm a millionaire." He's been exploring dealers online since then, to see if anything worthwhile turns up; there are plenty of motorcycles for sale, sometimes a seemingly limitless supply of BSA M20s and Norton 16Hs. "They love Indian motocycles in India - they'd buy them all if they could." But the taxation rate is horrendous; 100% on new motorcycles, 180% for something old. "They don't want the market flooded with used cars, so weird collector stuff gets caught in the trap as well." Which is interesting; here in the US, old cars are considered polluters and frowned upon, while India is introducing the cheapest car in the world, the Tata 'Nano', which has absolutely no emission controls - a scary prospect for a country of 1 billion people.

When scouring far corners for old bikes (like India, Indonesia, Argentina, Paraguay, etc), the prices are often enticing, but, of course, there's always the issue of overseas money transfer, in a transaction with an unknown vendor. It can be scary to send a hard-earned pile of cash abroad to a stranger, but I have to say, I've never been 'taken' in such a deal. Angry, frustrated, exasperated, murderous, yes, but I always got what I paid for, eventually. Touch wood. Your results may vary.

So what has Dave found? This bike is a mystery to me, although it certainly looks European, with its wet-sump sv engine and flattened headlamp - very Frenchy-Belgish. Estimated date of manufacture, 1931-'36. 350cc or 500cc, it's difficult to tell.

I don't trust that the 'Norton' gearbox is original, and is probably a replacement from a convenient donor 16H, as are some of the instruments. The timing chest has a curious look, almost as if a chainchase had been cut off from the cover; something seems to be missing anyway.

The primary side is also odd, but could be standard. That large and featureless cover certainly lacks charm, but it seems to fit the crankcase casting well.

The engine has no identifying marks other than a number stamped on the drive side; 'M 2363 SL'.

The chassis seems sound, with Webb-pattern forks, a pair of 6" diameter Enfield-type brakes with aluminum backplates, plus a handsome tank with integral instrument panel, reminiscent of a '32 Ariel. The frame is a duplex full-loop type, and the exhuast ends in a nice fishtail.

There is a ban on export of pre-1941 motorcycles in India, as they are considered part of the 'national heritage', but crafty Indian traders break up the bikes into several lumps, and truck them to friendly shippers in Nepal. From Nepal, they are officially shipped abroad, using Calcutta as their port!

I'm sure if I dig into my library, I could find the machine in these photos... but I'm curious how long it will take if I put the matter to YOU. Do you know the make and model of this bike?




And we have our answer, which took less than two hours, and came from Australia!
Howard Burrows, who knows a thing or two about old bikes, sent this photo of a New Imperial from 1931, which sent me in the right direction.

He writes: "G'day Paul, It's a NEW HUDSON! Yes a New Hudson from about 1930 without its external engine cowls or covers. See photo. Howard" You win! Fabulous prizes to follow.




Further investigation reveals the machine to be either a 350cc, 500cc, or 550cc sidevalve from ca. 1931/2, as shown in the '31 Hew Hudson catalog. A range of models was available from a very standard sidevalver 350cc (which might be our machine) to more deluxe models with legshields and more capacity, to the hot-rod model 'Bronze Wing' 500cc ohv with a tuned engine.

All these photos come from an excellent New Hudson website on '1931-33 Models', which can be viewed here. There is also a book on New Hudson which was sold by the VMCC, but is currently sold out. Look for 'New Hudson, The History of a Motor Cycle Company', by Eric Ion. It seems my suspicion of the Norton 'box was well-founded; they originally came with Albion gearboxes.

The final photo shows just such a machine, with engine covers, at the Banbury run a few years ago (naughty - the Banbury is limited to pre-31 motorcycles!). And the estimated value for such a machine as Dave found in India? A restored model sold at Stafford in '06 for £3500, so an unrestored but correct model will make less - let's say $3-4k. Plus shipping via Nepal!

HOW YOU FIND OTHER THINGS TOO...

Hedley Cox, who used to work for Veloce, and built the Covel twin-engined KTT racer, sent a box of old Fishtail magazines (issues 100-288 / 1971 - 97), which is the monthly Velocette Owner's Club publication. Normally, having a huge stack of old club magazines is just another way to collect mildew and Silverfish in your home, but the VOC has recently published a full index of all subjects in the magazine from issue 1 - 360, and there's a wealth of information about everything from Webb fork bushing dimensions to John Hartle on a works 500cc ISDT machine. I'll have a stack of extras now, as I was missing only 80 of the 188 issues which arrived, so if anyone wants some...

The best thing, though, is the box Hedley built for the magazines - completely old school. No fragile cardboard and bubble wrap for him - it's solidly built out of 1" thick boards! And plenty of nails and screws to hold it all together. Thanks Hedley; next time I need to ship an engine, it's the perfect size and heft.

HOW YOU FIND THEM #10: 1950 Norton Model 7

"It's Dante from Manila...I found this unique specimen in an old auto shop. Engine number: 27531 e 12. It's an old Norton Domi Racer... I think... the gauges say so ;)"

The bike in question is a beautifully preserved 1950 Model 7 Dominator of 497cc, first of the line of Norton twins designed by Bert Hopwood, and the second year of production, the Mod 7 having been introduced to the public in late 1948 (the engine number 'E' denotes 1950, the '12' = Model 7). The frame is basically the same Garden Gate plunger as used on the Manx, with long Roadholder forks, and the petrol tank panels would originally have been painted silver over the chrome. The speedo (likely supplied by DomiRacer!) sits in a small fork-top panel, and the sheet metal looks remarkably correct. Somebody loved this bike.


These early 'iron' 500cc vertical twins are really special - the first Triumph Speed Twins and the BSA A7 share many similar characteristics, and having owned and ridden examples of each, I think they're the best of the whole twin-cylinder mania which gripped England post-war. The engines are quiet, with iron cylinders and heads, they are mildly tuned and give reasonable power, but most of all they're very smooooth and won't cause your hands to go numb or your fillings to fall out like their enlarged cousins over the years. Nice score, Dante.

Some specs on the Norton; bore and stroke are 66mmx72.6mm, 497cc, ohv vertical twin with 360 degree crankshaft throws (piston both rise and fall together, but they fire on alternate strokes - all Brit vertical twins used this except the Triumph Bandit, which was never produced beyond the prototype stage. The Bandit used a 180 degree crankshaft, where one piston is up while the other is down, as per Honda CB/CL twins). The engine produced 29hp @ 6000rpm, although you'd be truly mean to rev this lovely old thing that hard. Original cost in England was £215... and the new model was very well received by the press.

If you have a Model 7 and want company, there is a Yahoo egroup for this model.
And, thanks to youtube, below is a short video of a Model 7, which is in lovely condition.

HOW YOU FIND THEM # 9

A fellow in Argentina went into the basement and found a colony of Ants which had lain undisturbed for many years... but, since these were Rumi Formichini (Italian for Ants), it attracted my interest!
Rumi was well-known in the 1950's and 60's for their beautifully constructed two-stroke twins of 125-200cc, which had distinctive laid-down cylinders. Their sporting motorcycles are the most famous, but they also made this unusual scooter, which uses cast aluminum body parts instead of pressed steel, forming a monocoque chassis with the engine as a stressed member. The engine is 125cc two-stroke twin cylinder, with twin 18mm carbs (22mm on the Sports Model - yes!), and chromed cylinder bores; it was the fastest scooter available at the time. The Formichino won its class in the Bol d'Or 24 hour race at Montlhery, 3 times - 1957/8/60. Of course, you could then buy the 'Bol d'Or' version of the scooter - painted gold, with a whopping 9hp. The Rumi factory ceased motorcycle production in 1962. There is a nice website devoted to the scooter here.

HOW YOU FIND THEM # 8

This one kills me; I knew about this 1915 Indian sitting in a garage, stuffed underneath a lot of boxes and furniture, which had been in one family since 1925. Dan P. got there first, since I dallied, but Dan's a good guy and has other interesting Indians, so it went to a good home.

You can't beat an original paint machine which is nearly 100 years old! This is the last year of the old style motor with inlet-over-exhaust layout and skinny cylinders. Indian produced very advanced motorcycles in the early days, with rear suspension and full electric lighting, including an electric starter (which didn't work all that well, but it was still a first). Leaf springs front and rear provided a comfortable ride over the dirt roads which were the rule back then, and a 3 speed gearbox and good clutch made riding far easier than contemporary clutchless direct belt drives still common throughout the industry until the early 1920's.

This machine has some deluxe touches, like the Corbin speedo driven from the rear wheel, and a Klaxon horn on the handlebars. It's not one of the 'electrified' models, but has an acetylene headlamp. If you look closely at the petrol and oil tanks, you'll see they used tiny filler caps - no current gas pump will fit - and pouring was usually done from a can and funnel. Long distance travel was very unusual, and gasoline was available in 1 gal. cans from your local 'dry goods' merchant - the gallon taking you perhaps 80 miles, if you were careful (and there weren't many opportunities for full-throttle work anyway). Filling stations didn't become common in the US until the late 'teens - the very first 'Filling Station' arriving on the scene in 1905. By 1914, Standard Oil had 34 stations in California, with employees wearing uniforms, and attending to the needs of motorists, filling up tanks from Bowser pumps (invented by Sylvanus Bowser in 1905).

The craziest part has to be the original 1925 title; note the lovely 'old west' script on this official paperwork. Even the State government had a bit of style back then - our titles are simple computer printouts nowadays.


On the photo below, the long lever controls the clutch, the short one the 3-speed gearbox. The clutch wasn't simply an in-out device, but the arcuate slot has little ridges at which the lever could rest, giving a desired amount of slippage from the all-metal multi-plate clutch. Hard to imagine now, but at the time the powerful engine might cause sideslip in mud or dust or gravel, if the power was applied fully.

The Indian was a quality machine, using rods and links to control the carburetor and magneto timing, rather than Bowden cables. It's all very mechanical, complicated, and a bit fussy to maintain when those linkages begin to wear out, when the paste of road dirt and lubricating oil takes its toll.

Maybe Dan will let me have a ride on the Indian after he cleans it up; then I can commit Hara-kiri. Doh!

HOW YOU FIND THEM #7

John sent these photos of a ca. 1951 Norton Manx:

"Look at these pics! A DOHC [double overhead camshaft] Manx, supposedly raced in Canada. I saw it in a shed in Belgium, while buying a Model 18 Norton for a friend. Perhaps a bit modern, but really awesome looking."

I would agree, except, it's not too modern for my taste! A Manx is always a welcome guest, the top of the line for 1951, the best one could buy if you wanted to go racing. Dick Klamforth won the Daytona 200 race that year on a Norton very similar to this one (and won the next two years as well). The 'works' engines, such as Klamforth raced, had magnesium engine cases, cambox, gearbox shell, and bevel drive housings, etc, and will be painted black (or oxidized very dark grey). [According to Paul Adams, there are at least 6 'genuine' Klamforth '51 Daytona winners out there - the confusion has arisen due to a lack of accurate engine and frame records from the races.]

The engine closeup shows the direct lineage from the 1930 'Carrol' redesign (of the original 'Moore' CS1 engine) - not a lot changed actually, but the barrel and head have become aluminum, and of course the production Manx was now available with the dohc engine. Previously only the 'works' racing engines had this cambox, which gives more positive valve control, as the distance between the valve stem and cam is very short indeed. The cam doesn't act directly on the valve, but has a short intermediary 'pusher' to give more surface rubbing area for the cam (which reduces wear on the cam face), and no rotational push on the valve stem end, which might rock the valve and create rapid guide wear.

This machine looks remarkably original, with an Amal RN ('remote needle' - the needle has a separate chamber beside the slide) carb, magnesium wheel hubs, and large tanks (sorry no drive side shots to see the extra-long 'Daytona' oil tank filler neck). The extra large airscoop on the front brake isn't original, but looks right....perfect patina on the whole machine. I don't know if John made an offer, but I would have!