Tailor made

Nobody would deny that two-strokes tend to have uneven slow-speed running and tickover, but their fans forgive that because of the delightful way the puttering exhaust chimes into a continuous note when the throttle is opened.

In the 1950s and 60s, however, even the most ardent two-stroke enthusiasts had to admit they were shortchanged when it came to real performance. Villiers had a virtual stranglehold on the two-stroke market; and with nothing bigger than a docile 324cc twin in its list, the maker of big four-stroke twins had it all its own way. Admittedly the 600cc Birmingham Scott was also theoretically available, but it was only made in limited numbers by Matt Holder’s Aerco Company – which had purchased the manufacturing rights from the original Shipley firm – and allegedly only sold to ‘approved’ customers.

In any case, postwar Scotts were an acquired (or not acquired) taste, retaining all the marque’s famous eccentricities yet