INCOMING!

PRE-WAR WONDERS

I found Paul Miles’s feature on vintage bikes in RC188 very interesting, to say the least. I’ve never ridden a flat tanker so cannot comment on that score, but having owned a mid-1930s Sunbeam Model 9 for a few years, I concur with his statement about being as easy as riding a 1950s / 60s bike. I find my ‘post vintage’ bike to be exhilarating to ride and agree that, when pushed, it can give you the same feeling as riding a more modern bike at speed. They are very organic and let you know when you are pushing them too hard. I know a local who has several late vintage bikes that he rides daily and he doesn’t hang around either. So it’s all true…

I think my favourite period for motorcycles is probably the mid to late 1930s. The development of the big single-cylinder engines was high level and didn’t really develop any further. The 1950s stuff was practically the same engine-wise, but had to lug heavier cycle parts to the detriment of the power-to-weight ratio. In the mid-1930s the attention to detail was excellent, as were the materials used, with not many corners cut to meet output demand.

I often mull over the thought of what would the likes of Sunbeam, Rudge, etc have come up with had they resumed bike production post-war? Maybe they would have pushed the competition to come up with more innovative ideas that could have changed the outcome of the industry in its final days? Who knows?

A good feature that I thoroughly enjoyed. Thanks for that

James Griffiths, member

I suspect that Velocette’s post-war path probably answers your question, James: there was such a limited market for top-quality, prestige machines in the austerity era that perhaps Rudge and Sunbeam would’ve ended up building lightweight utility bikes if they’d resurfaced in the late 1940s. Like you, I’ve a soft spot for the machines built either side of WW2 – here’s one of my faves from a few years back… Rowena

WINTER CLASSICS

I had a great weekend at the Newark Winter Classic and took two of my bikes for display. My BSA DBD34 Goldie did me proud and won the prize for best post-vintage bike which was presented to me by the great Frankie Chili, one of my heroes. He then sat on my 1947 Velo KTT which I also had on display. Super weekend!

Geoff Bloor