Captain Tom Moore: Veteran's motorbike found by Bradford museum

source - Telegraph & Argus

Captain Tom Moore: Veteran's motorbike found by Bradford museum

By far and away on of the best things to come out of the coronavirus crisis and the story that just keeps on giving is that of the emergence of centenarian Captain Sir Tom Moore, whose incredible fund-raising 100 laps of his garden resulted in a staggering total donation of £33m for the NHS.  For this heroically altruistic effort he was rightly honoured with a knighthood, the Yorkshire Regiment Medal (as well as the rank of Honorary Colonel of Army Foundation College), the Freedom of Keighley (his home town) and of London, Honorary [Life] Membership of the England Cricket team and the M.C.C., a birthday flypast by the BBMF's Spitfire & Hurricane - not to mention having several trains, buses, boats and even animals named after him.  On top of all that he also became the oldest person to have a UK Number One single with a cover version of You'll Never Walk Alone sung with Michael Ball.  The man once even appeared on Blankety Blank, for heaven's sake!



This is before one even takes into account his military service during World War Two in the Burma Campaign, one of the harshest theatres of the war, where he served in Royal Armoured Corps and survived getting Dengue fever.  Truly his has been a remarkably well-lived life and never was the phrase "cometh the hour, cometh the man" more apposite - clearly even approaching 100 years old he still had his mark to make.

source - KentOnline

Motorbike once ridden competitively by Captain Tom discovered in Bradford museum collection 

One of the many photographs brought out to show his varied life (soon to be in print as an autobiography) shows him - properly suited and moustached, of course - astride a vintage 1920s motorcycle which he used to indulge in one of his favourite hobbies when a young man in the 1950s, that of competitive club racing.  Judging by the trophies he's holding he was rather good at it too!

Captain Tom's motorbike in pride of place at museum

Now comes the marvellous news that this same motorbike has been discovered sitting in a Bradford museum, having been loaned to its collection by the son of a former owner.  The history of the motorcycle and in particular its manufacturer - the locally-based Scott Motorcycle Company - is as equally fascinating as to how to came to pass through Captain Tom's ownership, on to another enthusiast and thus to his son before eventually coming back to prominence in this wonderfully serendipitous manner.  One can well understand the obvious pride displayed by the Bradford Industrial Museum in now being able to update its history to include ownership by a local and national hero and I'm sure it will now take pride of place in its collection, as part of the endlessly rewarding story of one man's remarkable life.

Coal-fired steam motorbike built by technician is a Steampunk dream

source - Interesting Engineering

This Coal-Fired Steam Motorbike Built by Technician Is a Steampunk Dream

There hasn't been much in the way of Steampunk-themed articles featured on this blog of late (mind you I've only been back for three months) but this one about a beautiful home-built, steam-powered motorcycle more than makes up for it.

The creation of a steam engine enthusiast from Carlton in North Yorkshire, this fantastic machine is all the more remarkable for having been built from scratch over the course of four years - including the engine which was pieced together from various sources!  It's a testament to the skill and the vision of Mr Sanderson that the end result is such a professional example of Victorian engineering in a wonderful Steampunk design and he should be justly proud of his achievement.



It does look quite a brute of a machine, though, doesn't it - and I can't get over (and no doubt wouldn't be able to see over) the size of that chimney!  I imagine that it must interfere with forward visibility just a tad...  What it must be like to sit astride a high-pressurised boiler full of steam and hot water I wouldn't like to guess, either; I only know I would be a little nervous - although not above giving it a go I suppose.

source - Interesting Engineering

Still I can only express again my admiration for the thought and workmanship that has obviously gone into this incredible machine over such a long period of time.  The world is a fuller place for its existence and that of skilled enthusiasts like Mr Sanderson and it can rightly take its place alongside any of the one-off and custom-made Steampunk motorbikes that are out there and mentioned in the accompanying article.

Finally, to prove it's a real runner and not just a stationary engine (ha-ha, did you see what I did there...?), here to finish with is footage of the happy owner taking his fantastic steam-powered motorcycle for its first test drive:



Toot-toot!  Full steam ahead, sir!

The return of Brough Superior

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The return of Brough Superior

Just over a year ago I featured an article in part about two Brough Superior motorcycles from the 1920s, which made large sums of money when they went to auction.  The model was also briefly mentioned in another motorcycle-themed post earlier in the year.

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1937 Brough Superior SS100

Both were prime examples (despite one being unrestored) from a motorcycle manufacturer of the inter-war Golden Years that was widely regarded as the producer of the ultimate 'bikes of the period.  The company was founded in 1919 by George Brough, the son of motorcycle manufacturer George Brough Sr. who built machines simply labelled Brough.  After a falling-out between father and son, George Jr. went and set up his own concern - cheekily calling it Brough Superior much to his dad's chagrin!

In the 20 years of Brough Superior production the company more than lived up to its name, earning the nickname "the Rolls-Royce of motorcycles" (a name the originally-litigious Rolls-Royce was not happy with, until one of its executives was given a tour of the factory and had to admit that is was more than a fair description, even going so far as to give Rolls-Royce's full approval).  Brough Superiors were truly bespoke machines built with input from the owner, all of them put together by a white-gloved hand - and then disassembled again for painting/finishing!  Each and every example of the original 3,048-model production run (approximately one-third of which survive today) was scrupulously tested before delivery.  The SS80 was named for its 80mph top speed, so each one was run at that speed or more after construction to ensure that it lived up to its moniker.  Likewise the SS100.  If one fell short, it went back to the factory for tinkering until it could satisfactorily meet the published figures.  George Brough Jr., himself a record-breaking motorcycle racer and designer, wanted only the very best.

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T.E. Lawrence on his 6th Brough Superior, "George V", 1927

It was a vision shared by many rich and famous motorcyclists of the time (a SS100 in 1925 - the second year of its production - cost £170, equal to about £55,000 today which is about the same as the new 2014 model is expected to cost) including George Bernard Shaw and most famously T. E.  Lawrence [of Arabia].  Lawrence owned a total of eight Brough Superiors and was infamously killed on the back roads of Dorset in 1935 when he crashed his SS100 "George VII" (a ninth model, "George VIII", was under construction at the time).  "George VII" is now currently on display at the IWM London.

Sadly the Second World War did for Brough Superior as its factory was given over to war production.  Despite dedicated after-sales service from George Brough and later company owner Albert Wallis, which saw parts still being produced right up until 1969, no new Brough Superior motorcycles were produced after the outbreak of war.

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Until now.  I'm delighted to see that the Brough Superior nameplate has been revived and now graces a wonderful and impressive-looking machine - the 2014 Brough Superior SS100.  Designed very much in homage to the original 1924-1939 SS100, this new 2014 model includes many traditional construction features that tie it unmistakably to its ancestor such as the uniquely-shaped fuel tank and a V-twin engine integrated into the chassis.  Yet, to this blogger's eyes at least, there is an obvious evolutionary aspect to the 'bike, which in its shape resembles slightly more the modern roadster design.  Yet it all combines to create a handsome motorcycle and in my opinion a very successful imaging of what a Brough Superior would look like in the 21st century.

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No doubt this is in no small part thanks to the interest of the reborn company's new owner, marque enthusiast and former motorcycle dealer Mr Mark Upham.  It certainly sounds like he understands the ethos behind the brand and I wish him the best of luck with his product plan.  The Brough Superior name deserves to make a comeback and this could well be the motorbike to do it justice.

Janus Motorcycles capture 1920s style

Source: visordown.com via Bruce on Pinterest

Janus Motorcycles capture 1920s style

From America now comes news of a spiffing new motorcycle - the Janus Halcyon 50.

It may resemble the early lightweights of the 1910s and '20s - always the intention of the company's vintage motorcycle enthusiast creators - but only the æsthetics are old-fashioned.  In yet another welcome example of time-honoured design married to up-to-date technology the Janus Halcyon uses all-modern mechanicals - electric kick start, a 6-speed gearbox and fuel-efficient engine - to provide the best of both worlds.

Interestingly the Halcyon also stays true to the simple cruiser philosophy of the small-engined Twenties' machines, with another concession to modernity.  The engine is a 50cc unit - the same size as all those anonymous little Peugeot and Piaggo scooters you see L-plated 16-year olds whizzing about on.  If it weren't for the fact that the Halcyon, as a US-built machine, can do 55mph rather than the 31mph British law insists upon it could almost be classed as a moped/scooter.  In an ideal world youths would be zooming about on Halcyons instead of annoying little buzzboxes, but that is just this author's pipe dream and Janus is more likely to find customers among the similarly retro-minded riders of traditional machines.  You may be surprised, like I am, to think that a small-engined motorcycle like the Halcyon could do well in a land where "hogs" like Harley Davidson are kings of the road but the company owners seem to think there is a market and both available models seem to be competitively priced.  I have heard that more modest machinery is gaining in popularity in the States and Janus 'bikes certainly have the charm and nostalgia to succeed, so who knows?  

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Janus Motorcycles thinks big with small displacement

I also like the fact that they're employing local Amish people to help hand-build some of the metalwork.  There's one way to ensure a true vintage look, certainly!  Having met Amish people and seen their handiwork first hand I have no doubt that Halcyons' frames will be beautifully constructed to a high standard.  I'm delighted that they're involved and impressed that Janus have thought to approach them.

Will Janus motorcycles ever make it across the Atlantic?  Well, they're still a young company and currently only ship within the continental USA (although I suppose there's nothing to stop someone travelling out there, buying one and shipping it back themselves).  In the longer term I'd love to see them over here (of course!).  I think they would prove to be very popular, particularly here in the UK where vintage motorcycle enthusiasts abound and where so many motorcycle companies - whose early machines the Halcyon clearly resembles - once thrived.  The engine is a Spanish unit, so Janus would also have the advantage of not having to do too much to meet European emissions standards.  The company has a noble and realistic philosophy that as and when they achieve it in the United States they may well start to look further afield.  I wish them luck and hope to see and hear more of them in the future. 

Motorbike from 1920s sells for £67,000 at auction

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Motorbike from 1920s sells for £67,000 at auction

October seems to be the month for record-breaking vehicles and now it is the turn of vintage motorcycles to step (or should that be roll?) into the limelight.  Not one but two pre-war motorbikes - both very special in their respective ways - were sold yesterday by Bonhams as part of a larger auction and they are each jolly nice and remarkable vehicles.

The record-breaker of the pair is the 1929 Grindlay-Peerless "Hundred Model" above.  Called a replica it strikes me as more of a limited run - very limited, in fact, being one of maybe only five or six built to celebrate C.W.G. "Bill" Lacey's successful attempt to become the first Englishman to travel 100 miles in an hour.  Being only one of two left in the world it was perhaps destined to command a high price, and so it has proved.

‘Barn Find’ Brough Superior Up For Auction At Bonhams

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The second 'bike (actually the first to be reported in the press, but not widely hence I struggled to find this article) is a Brough Superior SS-80, notable not only for being manufactured by what is widely regarded as the finest motorcycle maker of the inter-war period (and the preferred choice of T.E. Lawrence ["of Arabia"]) but for being a veritable "barn find" untouched for 80 years.  Owned by the same family since new (1925) this SS-80 hasn't been used since 1930 and is in an amazing condition and complete with reams of paperwork.

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This was actually one of two Brough Superior SS-80s in the auction, the second being a mint model once owned by the founder of the Vintage Motor Cycle Club.  It is a beautiful example of how the unrestored model would have looked in the late 1920s, yet oddly enough both fetched nearly the same money - £63,100 and £68,300 respectively. They are both splendid machines despite their vast difference in condition, however, and I hope the new owners continue to enjoy, cherish and - in the case of the original-condition one, if they so wish, restore - them for many years to come. 

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Riders of the lost Art

I must begin by apologising for what is turning into one of the quietest months of blogging I've experienced in a long time.  It's been partly due to work and other calls upon my time but mainly because there has been little vintage news to blog about!  Perhaps everyone is bracing themselves for looking forward to a certain event starting at the end of the month...  As it is I've almost forgotten how to do this blogging lark, so I'm sorry if this post isn't up to snuff(!). 

I've had the idea for this post buzzing around my head for some time now, having come across several motorbikes I really like the look of (and think you would too) - both real and imaginary.  Time to get them off my mind and into this blog!

Dad's last classic 'bike, a 1960 AJS.  Sold in 1997, sadly.

Motorcycles aren't really my area of expertise (I prefer my vehicles to have at least 3 wheels under them!); they come more within the purview of my father, who's been riding the things since the 1960s.  Being mechanical objects I have a passing interest in them but with these modern 'bikes I couldn't tell a Honda from a Hayabusa.  I much prefer motorbikes from the first half of the 20th century (naturally!), particularly the classic-styled British makes of which there were so many - Ariel, BSA, Matchless, Royal Enfield, Rudge and Vincent to name but a few.  Not to mention "the Rolls-Royce of motorcycles" - the Brough Superior (T. E. Lawrence's motorbike of choice and the type on which he met his death). 

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It is still possible to find some vintage-style motorcycles among the mass of plastic-clad, sport-position superbikes if you look hard enough.  These examples in particular take my fancy:

Triumph Thruxton

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Triumph is a justly famous name in British motoring history, dating back to 1902, and today Triumph Motorcyles Limited is the largest remaining UK motorbike manufacturer (although its present incarnation only really dates back to 1983 when the original Triumph company went into receivership and the rights to the name were bought by British entrepreneur John Bloor).  Their range of 'bikes is impressive but are generally sporting and look to the future (Tiger, Speed, Street, Daytona, Sprint and Trophy), the immediate past (Bonneville and Scrambler) or across the Pond to the cruiser style of America (America, Rocket III, Speedmaster and Thunderbird).  Only one model really stands out to me and that is - the Thruxton.  Unashamedly retro its style harks back to the café racers of the 1960s - just the sort of 'bike my dad would have coveted, I should think.   One of the classic designs from the end of an era.

Royal Enfield

A classic British motorcycle manufacturer as mentioned previously, Royal Enfield lives on - in India.  Originally an offshoot of the British Royal Enfield company, who set up an Indian operation in Madras during the 1950s (originally to supply the Indian police), Royal Enfield (India) has been in business ever since outlasting even its parent company (which closed its doors in 1971).  Now thanks to various investments Royal Enfields are once again available to buy in Britain.  Some models have hardly altered in style since their British heyday, and my picks would be the Bullet Classic Chrome (also available in Battle Green and Desert Sand for the Army re-enactors amongst you!) or the Bullet Electra Deluxe

Royal Enfield Bullet Classic Chrome

Royal Enfield Battle Green Bullet Classic (also in Desert Sand Beige)

Royal Enfield Electra DL

Indian Chief Classic

From one sort of Indian motorcycle to another now.  While Harley-Davidson is arguably the most well-known of the American cruisers, their modern offerings have always seemed a trifle too "butch" (for want of a better word) for my taste and it can't be denied that the 'bikes tend to conjure up images of Hell's Angels and the like.  (Born to be Mild, that's me!).

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No, for me it has to be that other great American motorcycle manufacturer - Indian.  The equal of Harley-Davidson for the first half of the 20th century, Indian's fortunes declined and the original company went bankrupt in 1953.  Numerous abortive attempts to resurrect the brand were made between then and 2006, when a new Indian Motorcycle Company was formed (oddly enough with the help of a London-based private equity firm but since 2011 under American ownership).  Early days, then, but judging by the look of their current 3-bike range I think they should do well.  I certainly hope so!  The Indian Chief Classic is definitely my favourite.  I can't resist wheel spats (but draw the line at the tasselled saddle and bags of the Vintage and Dark Horse models)!

Orphiro

Never heard of them?  Neither had I until I did this post.  Dutch firm Orphiro looks to be a very interesting company; one to keep an eye on.  Their prototype electric motorcycle embodies an ethos I have spoken warmly about in the past - the merging of vintage design with modern practices.  With this remarkably well-fashioned cruiser-style 'bike Ophiro makes electric motorcycling look incredibly attractive.  Hopefully the technology will prove to be a match for the design, but for now - I like it a lot!

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So from the current motorcycles that would sit in my dream garage I'll now turn to some of the beautiful and unusual designs that existed during my favourite decades.

1929 Majestic

Image by Paul d’Orléans, courtesy of Bike

Without a doubt one of the most beautiful examples of the Art Deco æsthetic ever applied to a motorcycle the 1929 Majestic could only ever have come from the country that first brought us that wonderful design movement - France.  Incredibly advanced for its time, with a riding position more akin to modern sports 'bikes, the Majestic is one of the earliest examples of motorcycle streamlining.

1934 BMW R7

BMW have been making motorcycles for longer than it has been making cars, starting production of two-wheelers in 1923 (five years before their first car).  Today BMW Motorrad is a hugely successful arm of the Bavarian company and during the 1930s BMW motorbikes were the equal of many of the British makes.  The 1934 R7 was a prototype intended to show the future mechanical and design direction BMW's 'bikes were going to take.  Foreshadowing the "all-in-one" body design that was to become the norm in future decades and with many highly-advanced features the R7 made liberal use of the Art Deco style, a style that was perfectly suited to this fast, modern motorcycle.

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Only the one prototype was ever produced, however, due to the prohibitive costs which Depression-hit BMW could not afford.  This brutally gorgeous one-off was cannibalised of its parts for production BMWs with the remaining 70% packed away in a crate.  It was not until 2005 that it was uncovered, in shockingly bad condition (rust had taken hold of much of it exacerbated by the battery which had split open and left corroded acid all over the place).

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Fortunately BMW knew the historical value of the R7 and with help of BMW Archives, who still held the original drawings and blueprints, their specialists were able to painstakingly rebuild and restore the R7.  The result, which took 3 years of hard work, you can see here.

1936 Henderson

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A one-off custom build that looks like it would be at home in a pulp story, this amazing motorcycle started life as a standard 1930 Henderson (another American motorbike maker, from 1912-31) before it was mind-blowingly altered by an O. Ray Courtney in 1936.  It has been restored by Frank Westfall out of Syracuse, New York.  Who if you ask me is a very lucky man to have such a lovely - and completely, if somewhat unwieldily useable - machine.  If the Majestic was the beginning of Art Deco streamlining on motorbikes, the Henderson is surely the last word.

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Finally, having waxed lyrical on a subject mechanical again (funny how these sort of posts end up more like essays!),  I leave you with a few examples of motorcycles from the imagination.  Steampunk and Dieselpunk designs that exist on paper, or as static displays, and which may well not even function as a motorbike were they to be produced but which nevertheless amaze and astound in equal measure.

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Russian artist Mikhail Smolyanov has designed a whole glut of Steampunk and retrofuturistic motorbikes.  To do them all justice would be impossible (and at least double the length of this post - "oh no!", I hear you cry) so I shall direct you to The Retronaut who covered them last year and suggest you have a look at Mikhail's blog if you like what you see.

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In a similar vein to Mikhail Smolyanov's Black Widow design, Harley-Davidsons have been customised in the Steampunk æsthetic, like the one above.

All in all, I think I'm going to need a bigger garage!

1894 Roper Motorbike Aims at World Auction Record

1894 Roper Motorbike Aims at World Auction Record

I wrote almost two years ago about the auction of a rare example of what is generally considered to be the world's first motorcycle - the 1894 Hildebrand & Wolfmüller.  Now one of the few remaining examples of its main competitor at the time is about to be auctioned off; a similar machine which used a different propulsion system that would eventually bow to the superior internal combustion engine - the Roper Steam-Propelled Bicycle.

If contemporary accounts are anything to go by it would seem that the Roper was more than a match for any petrol-powered motorised bicycle of the time.  Forty miles an hour in 1894 was not to be sniffed at, and it must have been quite a thrill puffing along at such a speed atop such a contraption.  Too much of a thrill for its elderly inventor, it would seem, considering what eventually happened to him(!).  One wonders if the technology could ever have been refined enough to make it practicable.  As it turned out, though, in the end internal combustion won the day and steam power ceased to be used in such small configurations.

So rare is this early pseudo-motorbike that the auction house involved can't seem to agree on a reserve price, referencing a contemporaneous steam-powered car that recently sold for $4.2million (£2.6m) and the current holder of the record for the world's most expensive motorcycle - a 1915 petrol-powered Cyclone that went for $502,000 (£313k) three years ago.  It may well be, therefore, that we are about to witness the world's first $1,000,000+ motorcycle (if it can be argued that a steam-powered bicycle comes under the definition of a motorcycle).  Either way, an interesting piece of motoring history is about to change hands.

Rare early motorcycle to be auctioned

Rare early motorcycle to be auctioned

After a few days of relative quiet here is an article about what is essentially one of the world's first motorcycles. An intriguing tale of the beginnings of the motorbike; it is interesting to note in the design the obvious debts owed to the bicycles of the period and yet in many other ways it is surprisingly modern. Certainly the speeds claimed are tremendous for the time, although I wouldn't fancy trying to hit 30mph on one of them, would you? Likewise we may laugh today at the thought of a 1.5-litre engine pumping out all of 2½ horsepower at a lowly 240 revs per minute, but then you have to remember that the predominant mode of transport at that time had one horsepower and travelled at an appreciably slower speed! Although from the sound of things the latter was still the more reliable.

What people, used to horse-drawn carriages and pushbikes, would have thought when seeing someone whizzing about on one of these I can't imagine. It must have been simply mind-boggling to have been alive during a period of such technological advancement.