Letters

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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I was struggling to read the June issue, having just got back from having some swarf excavated from my eye at the local hospital (by the most delightful young lady!) and I chanced upon the Stafford Show report. On page 42, centre right, was a machine finished in brown, a machine of such outstanding AWESOMENESS,…

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As Cadwell Park hosts the Sidecar Revival Meeting I thought it would be appropriate to include the last three Colin Clark images of sidecar outfits in the 1950s. The first is a Norton outfit (70) which, although there is no evidence on the original, I think may be Stan Hailwood. No clues at all about…

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I enjoyed the article on the Ariel VA/VB. Enclosed is a photo of a 1939 Ariel VA that I found in Princes Risborough, approximately 1990. It was one owner and came with tax discs from May 1939 through to December 1968, but with only about 10,000 miles on the speedo. Being complete and not messed…

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I was pleased that the article on the Ariel VB (OBM April) did not concentrate solely on those old side valves as just being able to pull a heavy sidecar around, but were also capable of a useful performance when used in solo form. How do I know? Because over the years I have owned…

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After speaking to Dave at the Bike Shed Show in London, here’s the pic that I mentioned at the time. The photo was taken in 1934 in Aruba, in the Dutch West Indies, and I’m keen to find out the type of bike in the photo. On the bike is my grandfather who was a…

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I would really like to find out if my Velocette still exists. The DVLA say it’s not on their records so, if it’s still around, it must be in a shed or garage. This is a picture of it circa 1967. It was fast in its day, beating many a 650. Me, my girlfriend Jane…

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I have just realised that there is a small, but significant, error to the write-up to the Morton’s Archive picture on the front cover of the April issue. The rider of the Sunbeam, is I believe, Bob Lowe not Rowe, a one-time specialist in Long Distance Trials. Bob ordered the Sunbeam direct from the factory…

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Here is a photo, above, of the Norton Dominator 99 that Roger Maughfling built for me in 1964. I soon found that the 16” tyres did not last long (500 miles for the rear) and Owen Greenwood put on a used sidecar racing tyre for 10 shillings (50p to youngsters). From then on I’ve used…

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I’m enclosing a little poem I wrote about a project I’ve recently completed. I’ve been restoring Triumphs for quite a number of years now and I have to admit, believe me, this was some project. I am the owner of seven classic Triumphs and never had one in such a bad state. But it’s been…

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