Sam Hewitt
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The shape of things to come more than half a century ago!
Pete Kelly raids the Mortons’ Archive once again to discover how the weekly motorcycling press reacted to a brace of 250cc Japanese twins in the early 1960s – Honda’s overhead-camshaft C72 Dream in 1961 and Suzuki’s 246cc T10 two-stroke in 1963. Sixty years ago, the attitude towards Japanese motorcycles – indeed anything Japanese – among…
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Outside assistance
Regarding the front page photograph of Jim Sandford’s tyre repair in the 1971 ISDT on the Isle of Man. First the people from left to right, on bike number 999, is Ken Heanes, my friend Peter Thomas, then me (Keith Gush), the next is unknown, the next an East German observer, on his knees is…
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An H1 meets its end
I was very interested to read in the May issue of OBM,, Steve Cooper’s article on the remarkable emergency development of the Kawasaki H1 500cc triple. Readers may be interested to recall that at the 1969 TT, an H1 was entered by Read Bros. in the Production Race, ridden by Tony Dunnell, one of the…
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Is anything new?
I was reading the letters in the latest OBM and something stirred when I read the letter titled ‘Nothing’s new’. Rummaging through my old motorcycle mags I came across the attached article. By modern standards it doesn’t look very impressive, but… Was this the first commercially produced electric bike? Keep up the good work. Bill…
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Duking it out with a Goldie
Following the Gold Star vs Thruxton article (June 2019 edition), and my brother (Chris Briston) visiting us last week from the USA, and the June ‘Where are they now?’ letter, I was prompted to write this email. In the early 1960s my brother owned a 350cc Gold Star whose previous owners had been, in sequence,…
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Stand aid
I’ve read in OBM, and other mags, plaintive messages from older riders who are selling bikes because of difficulty with machine weight, especially when lifting on to centre stands. One method suggested by Tony Groves is to build a short ramp from 2” timber planking. Cut a low angle plus scallop at one end to…
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Rider identification
I have just opened my copy of the July mag and noticed that on page 28 you have named the rider on the sidecar as possibly being Bruce Main-Smith. I can say that the rider is my brother John Griffith, who I was very close to before he was killed on the M1. We had…
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Watsonian International
With thoughts of a sidecar outfit capable of as many types of riding as possible, Mick Payne takes a look at a new offering from long-term sidecar manufacturers Watsonian. Back in the day, in the hands of Johnny Brittain and others, Royal Enfield was the trials bike to beat, as Brittain alone won more than…
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Silver Streak dazzles at Shiny Bike Night
Report and pictures: Brian Crichton The AJS Silver Streak single of the 1930s is the natural star turn for an event that glories under the title Shiny Bike Night. Eighty years ago the Silver Streak came from the factory with chrome everything – fuel tank, tool boxes, chain guards, pump, mudguards, exhaust, wheels rims… you…
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TJ Wassell
Keen to discover whether the heart of England’s motorcycle industry still has plenty to offer, Dave Manning heads to the West Midlands, and finds lots of true British industry. While there are those who bemoan the current apparent lack of British industry, who blame schools for selling off wood and metal-working facilities, who point fingers…
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