Week 5: I Am Missing The Beach

That was the strangest Bank Holiday I have ever experienced. I should have been down at the beach swearing at the cost of parking and thinking about how soon I can get my new paddle board into the water. Instead I am still at home and taking the weekend off from the workshop. I have spent a lot of time in the garden, the winter weeds are no more and I spent most of Saturday afternoon laying in the sun catching up on my motorcycle magazines.

Brooklands and NLG

Just before I could get back in the workshop there was the Brooklands Members Bulletin to finalise. The next edition includes a motorcycle related piece about the first year of Brooklands motorcycling. We have managed to get some stunning shots of Charlie Collier setting a record at Brooklands in 1908 as well as images of McMinnies and Oscar Bickford who took part in the first ever motorcycle race at Brooklands. 

The first official race was of course won by William Cook on the famous NLG. North London Garages followed this bike up with the mammoth 2700cc JAP powered motorcycle that proved to be just too powerful, even for the outer circuit only managing a top speed of 84.247mph over a flying kilometre (in 26.553 seconds). Although this was a new unlimited speed record for Brooklands it was not recognised as a world record.

I did not realise that Parvel Malanik’s recreation of this bike was built specifically to beat Cook’s Brooklands time and prove that the bike could have reached 100 mph. Several of us witnessed this run at the 2017 Montlhèry Vintage revival. The following film gives some idea as to what this beast is like to ride. 

Back in the workshop 13-19 April

The bike is in the final stages of completion. I seem to have been saying that for the last six months, but I think I really mean it now. The tin-work is always a bit fiddly, but it went ok, the only issue being that I had temporarily lost the chain guard. Some of you will have seen it when I got it going at Brooklands last year. Since then I have fixed the massive oil leak. 

So here it is finished and ready for 8 May VE Day tribute. Some of you will spot there are no brake cables or linkages and I need still need to fit a period 1" mag lever. The double leavers are also still working the throttle as I have a guide missing from the twist grip.

Silverstone and the Birkin Memorial

In 2008 I got a look behind the scenes at Silverstone. I broke my foot falling off the winners podium so went back the following year to see the BRDC Clubhouse rather than the very impressive medical facilities! It seems that when they moved the club from Brooklands to Silverstone they took the original Brooklands gates (no image) and take a look at the plaques on the wall below you may recognise the Birkin memorial which is also on the Brooklands Clubhouse. I am assured by Andrew Lewis that ours is the original. The other things I took away from the visit was the number of people it takes to run a club meeting and the amount of kit the racers have these days.

Matchless Restoration 2009

I Just found some pictures of the 1956 Matchless 3GL when it first arrived at Brooklands. I could not get away from work when it was being worked on, so the next time I saw it was in the presentation picture. I gather it was not a straight-forward job. I remember Duncan saying it looked as if they must have just been grabbing random items off the shelf when it was built. I fear this was the case with a lot of manufactures as they merged during the twilight of the British motorcycle industry.

Vickers Vimy

We have all got used to seeing the Vimy in the shed at Brooklands and even running its engines sometimes. This particular replica was built in America  in 1994 and flew several fights culminating on 2nd -3rd July 2005, when the Vimy achieved the ultimate goal successfully re-enacted Alcock & Brown’s trans-Atlantic flight from St Johns, Newfoundland to Clifden, Ireland, in just under 19 hours piloted by Steve Fossett and Mark Rebholz.

However, in 2009 it arrived at Brooklands after a short flight from Dunsfold where it had been stored following its last flight. I will have to check but I guess that this aircraft may have been due to run out of time on its airworthiness certificates so had to be moved to avoid a later undignified trip on a lorry.

I was there to capture its return on 15 November 2009. I recall it was overdue and the light was fading. In the distance were the two dots of the Vimy and escort Shorts Skyvan. The Vimy did a couple of sighting passes before dropping out of the sky over MBW and onto the airstrip. It was quite dramatic and you will see it (luckily) has a very short landing capability. 

As a postscript to this story I understand that there was an earlier replica. We now have some images and more research is being carried out to feature it in a future edition of the Brooklands Bulletin.

Check out the film of the Vimy's return:

1935 Sunbeam Model 16

As I mentioned in last weeks blog I got my Sunbeam in 2009. This was my first British bike and was acquired after losing out on a hand-change Royal Enfield and a Norton. I got it from an antique dealer up north who had a choice of two. This Sunbeam has had a hard life but is full of character and quite rare being the only year that they featured the bulbous silencer. The silencer's patches now have patches and I need to get a new one made. I am very slowly replacing worn out bits and the next stage will be to take a look at the smoking engine. I have not ridden it for three years, but it still started first time when I had it out last year.

See you next week.