So, there we were as the Sixties, with all its flower power and weird fashions ended, the Seventies dawned and we knew the world was two-stroke… okay our world at least.
Big thundering four-strokes from Birmingham, or Sweden or even Belgium, were gone. ‘Good riddance’ we thought, as Greeves, CZ and Husqvarna showed the way with powerful reliable two-strokes, which knocked the idea they were toys, for the smaller classes and would never threaten the big bikes, into a cocked hat as world championships came their way thick and fast.
Then the Japanese came along, liking this motocross thing and with money to spend, they advanced things at a pace never experienced before and the old guard was gone, lost in a haze of two-stroke oil.
Then along came this Clews lad from Bolton, he apparently didn’t get the memo four-strokes were gone and hadn’t a hope in the modern world. See, Alan Clews wanted to race BSAs, like the ones Jeff Smith had won world championships on and similar to the ones John Banks almost did before the collapse of BSA cruelly dictated otherwise. Problem was, getting hold of a works BSA wasn’t easy, the factory had closed the competition department, Jeff Smith had gone to Can-Am, John Banks was trying other makes and all looked bleak for those who wanted to fly the flag of the home makers.
