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Buy someone a gift subscription
Stuck for gift ideas for a classic bike fan? Look no further!
The BMCT Gift Subscription is the perfect answer. A year’s BMCT membership in a presentation card, and still only £20! Buy on line or, for utmost secrecy, telephone Andy on 07754 880116 and he’ll arrange it for you.
BMCT MEMBERS TAKE PART IN PAGEANT OF POWER
An event that crept under most peoples’ radar in August was the Pageant of Power at Cholmondley Castle near Malpas, Cheshire. This was similar in concept to the Goodwood Festival of Speed, with cars and bikes tackling a tight and twisty 1.5 mile sprint course in the grounds of the castle. We were represented by our members John Kidson (ex-Arthur Wheeler 350 Moto Guzzi), Ivan Rhodes (Big Port AJS & Velocette KTT) and Sammy Miller (Brough Superior & 500 Husqvarna v-twin GP bike). Although blighted by the weather the event - sponsored by Bentley - went off well, and will hopefully find a place in the calendar in future years. The photos below show (l to r) a somewhat soggy Messrs. Kidson, Rhodes and Miller.
  
TRIUMPHANT DEBUT FOR BANDIT AT 1,000 BIKES
The Trust’s recently acquired Triumph Bandit made its track debut at the VMCC’s Festival of 1,000 Bikes at Mallory Park on the weekend of July 12th to 13th. Andy Bufton rode the bike and reports that it ran very well, giving smooth power all the way up to an indicated 8,000 rpm, at which point he backed off in deference to the irreplaceable mechanicals in the engine. Nevertheless, the bike was a match for many bigger machines, being easily able to keep up with 500cc Velocette Venoms and the like. Handling was absolutely spot on, the shallow steering head angle giving great stability, especially around the long Gerards Bend. The light weight of the bike made it easy to flick through the Lake Esses, and the brakes coped well with the big stop at Shaw’s Hairpin. Thankfully none of the chicanes that have ruined the track in recent years were used, and it was back to the good old Mallory Park of the golden era. The bumper crowds were treated to a great weekend of demonstrations, and on Sunday the highlight was undoubtedly Agostini and Cooper re-enacting their titanic battle in the 1971 Race of the Year on MV and BSA respectively. Back in the Avenue of Clubs our Bandit attracted a huge amount of interest on the BMCT stand, being certainly one of the rarest bikes on show. Andy is see below waiting to go out for one of the track sessions on the Sunday.
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1914 Coventry Challenge
These machines were constructed from 1903 by a cycle manufacturer who fitted various engines into his heavy duty bicycle frames and completed them with bought in parts, including engines from Minerva and Fafnir, and later JAP and Precision. In 1914 they  produced this model, with a Villiers engine of 269cc, and after the war they returned to JAP power with singles and V-twins.
This Villiers-engined example was supplied new to a firm of auctioneers in West Wales and used by them until a car was purchased in 1923. The bike was left in storage until 1997, when it was acquired and restored by Roy Poynting of Salisbury, and it has seen regular use since, including the completion of ten Pioneer Runs without incident. It has been acquired by the British Motorcycle Charitable Trust for exhibition at Coventry Transport Museum, in the city in which it was built 94 years ago. The photo shows the machine outside the Sammy Miller museum on Sunday 15th June, where it was an attraction at Sam’s annual Biker’s Day.
STOLEN MOTORCYCLES
On 6th April 2008 nineteen motorcycles were stolen from the Gloucestershire home of Honorary BMCT Member, Mrs Joyce Cobbing.
Naturally the Gloucestershire Police would be grateful for any information that could lead to their recovery.
The missing machines are:
1904 Humber, 4hp. V-twin. Reg. AB2607
1911 Hobart, Ladies Model, 300cc, Reg. AR2945
1913 Humber, Reg. EH554.
1913 Douglas, Ladies Model. Reg. KT1703
1915 Brough, Ladies Model, in line Flat twin, 500cc Reg. AT2885
1915 Douglas. Reg. CT4454.
1921 Moto Gillet, 350cc. No Reg.
1921 Alcyon Acynette, 90cc. Ladies Model. No Reg, Wheels missing
1923 Zenith-JAP, 680cc. V-Twin. Fuel tank missing. Reg. KH4513
1924 Calthorpe. Reg. PH569.
1925 Velocette,EL, Ladies Model, 3-Speed. Reg BC8928
1926 Moto Guzzi, 500cc. Reg. KC9654
1926 Rex Acme-Jap, V-Twin. Reg. RT2251
1927 New Imperial, 250cc. Reg. KH4513
1927 BSA, 350cc. OHV. Reg. NX8103
1932 Moto Guzzi, 175cc, Model P, No Reg.
1932 Frera, 225cc. No Reg
1946 Ariel Red Hunter.1946, 500cc, Reg UAS872.
1950 Moto Guzzi, Motoleggera.48cc, No Reg.
Anyone with information should contact Gloucestershire Constabulary, details below-
Detective Constable Emma Skeen
Tel- (01452) 335200
e-mail emma.skeen@gloucestershire.police.uk
Triumph Bandit
We are please to announce that the Trust has acquired a rare, running example of the bike that contributed to the downfall of the once mighty BSA Group in the Seventies - a Triumph Bandit. This was a 350cc ohc parallel twin, designed by Edward Turner in an effort to stem the tide of Japanese bikes flooding the home and (importantly) US markets. The bike had a  troubled gestation and, as it was about to be launched in 1972, the BSA Group was forced into an arranged marriage with Norton as its debts spiraled past the £20m mark. The bike never made it into production, but a handful of prototypes survived, along with some of its stablemate, the BSA Fury. However, most had been built for display at bike shows and were simply mock-ups with empty crankcases, which makes our fully functioning bike all the rarer. Our Bandit will take pride of place in the Coventry Transport Museum, and will be used occasionally for demonstrations. You will be able to see and hear it on track at the VMCC’s Festival of 1,000 Bikes at Mallory Park in July (see below), where it will be ridden by James Robinson, editor of “The Classic MotorCycle” magazine. For the inside story on the Bandit and Fury, see Bert Hopwood’s excellent book “Whatever Happened to the British Motorcycle Industry?”
2008 Festival of 1,000 Bikes
After another record breaking event in 2007 the VMCC’s Festival of 1,000 Bikes returns to Mallory Park on the weekend of 12/13th July 2008. As in previous years the event gives enthusiasts the opportunity to ride their own machines in multiple track sessions over the weekend. Catering for all classes of machines from the earliest Veterans through to machines of the Superbike era, this is an ideal opportunity to be part of a great, wide ranging event. The more relaxed noise restrictions on the Sunday will provide the opportunity for owners to exercise their racing machinery. No doubt among them will be BMCT members like Ivan Rhodes and Sammy Miller, to name but two. We will be in attendance with our usual display up near the hairpin in the Avenue of Clubs, so come along and say hello. For more details contact the VMCC on 01283 540557 or log on to www.vmcc.net
Colin Seeley is BMCT’s latest member
 Well known motorcycling personality Colin Seeley stopped by at the BMCT stand at the recent Race Retro exhibition and decided to become a member. Colin will be remembered as a World Championship sidecar contender in the Sixties and also as the man who bought out the remains of the AMC racing department, thereby ensuring the continuing availability of spares and complete engines for AJS 7R, Matchless G50 and Manx Norton. Many of these engines were housed in Colin’s own Seeley frames and went on to great success in the international arena. Colin’s book “Racer - and the Rest” is out now and is a very good read. In our photo Colin (right) is handing his membership application to Andy Bufton (left) on the BMCT stand at Stoneleigh.
New Trustees join the board
Following the retirement of Barry Littlewood, the Trust has strengthened the board of trustees with the election of two new members – John Handley and Steve Bagley (right). John has spent his working life in the world of commerce and brings with him great experience and many contacts who will be of great value to the Trust in the coming years. Steve will already be known to some of our members as the Principal Curator of Coventry Transport Museum. He has a great depth of knowledge on historic transport related issues and will be able to advise the board from the museum curator’s perspective.
Latest Acquisitions
In recent months the Trust  has been active in securing the future of some interesting machines. A 1934 Scott Flying Squirrel has joined our collection, and is remarkable in having been owned by the same family since 1934! Currently undergoing recommissioning, this bike will be seen out and about at the events the BMCT are attending this year. See List of Events for details. Also on its way is a Beardmore Precision (left), an interesting Kings Norton made machine with a 500 cc side valve JAP engine, unit construction and leaf-sprung front forks. This bike will be part of the display at the ever-improving London Motorcycle Museum at Greenford, Middlesex.
Off-road vehicles registration bill
The Motor Cycle Industry Association (MCI) is calling on you to lobby your MPs to vote against a new Off-Road Vehicles (registrations) Private Members Bill, that the industry believes will have limited or no effect on the mini-bike problem, but may well have implications for collectors and museums alike. The Bill is recommending a compulsory, retrospective, registration scheme of all off road motor vehicles as a method of dealing with the misuse of mini-bikes. The Motor Cycle Industry is advising that there are already twelve laws in place that can be used to deal with the issue of misuse of mini bikes and an extra law, which would not come into place for many months would have a limited effect on the illegal users who already would have little regard for the current law. The scheme will be costly to implement and legitimate sport will become even more expensive and bureaucratic. The number plates could be dangerous, as they would be likely to break and could be hazardous when racing or competing. We suggest logging on to the Motorcycle Action Group website www.mag-uk.org and following the links to campaigns. There you will find the contact information you need.
Charity Helps Save Isle of Man Heritage
The British Motorcycle Charitable Trust has stepped in with a grant of £20,000 to help prevent some important racing machines being lost to the Isle of Man following the break up of the Murray’s Motorcycle Museum collection. At its height the museum, situated at The Bungalow on the TT circuit, was home to over 120 machines, the majority of which have now found private owners after being widely advertised on the internet.
The BMCT has assisted Manx National Heritage in purchasing three of the machines  with significant history. They are the ex- C H Hopwood 1921 Levis which finished 8th in the Lightweight TT of 1922, the ex- Bertie Rowell 500cc Model 8 Sunbeam, and Albert Moule’s 1935 350cc Model M Manx Norton. The bikes will go on display at the Manx Museum, along with some interesting items of memorabilia.
John Kidson, former TT winner and Chairman of the BMCT said “We are delighted to be able to assist Manx Heritage in this way, especially with the 100th Anniversary of the TT Races coming up next year, and hope that this will in some small way help to make up for the loss of one of the island’s main attractions for enthusiasts.”
The British Motorcycle Charitable Trust was originally set up in 1979 to fund the National Motorcycle Museum near Solihull, but became a separate entity in 1995 when the museum passed into private ownership. Nowadays the charity promotes the restoration, preservation and exhibition of rare and unusual British motorcycles for the enjoyment and education of enthusiasts all over the country.
Membership of the trust costs just £20 annually and allows free access to the country’s leading motor and motorcycle museums. For more details go to the website,
www.bmct.org, or write for a leaflet from
BMCT, Holly Cottage, Bishampton, Pershore, Worcestershire WR10 2NH.
Coventry’s New Look
On Monday 10th April Councillor Ram Lahka, Lord Mayor of Coventry, unveiled the latest phase in the redevelopment of the Coventry Transport Museum. An impressive archway over Millennium Place leads to the entrance of the new look building, with the exhibits being reached through a splendid foyer with a well stocked souvenir shop.
Inside the museum the  displays are as impressive as ever, but the crowning glory is the new Motorcycle Gallery. This was part funded with a £162,000 grant from the BMCT, and the result is a stunning tribute to the men and machines that make up our motorcycle engineering heritage.
Prominent in the display are some Coventry made bikes owned by the BMCT, and the 500cc Triumph Tiger 100 made famous by Ted Simon in his book “Jupiter’s Travels”. The full list of machines is below, and we would urge you to take the first opportunity to see what must now be one of the most interesting and imaginative exhibitions anywhere in the country. All credit, then, to Barry Littlewood, Steve Bagley and the team for a job very well done.
Motorcycles on display:
1924 Hazlewood Combination 1935 Norton Combination
1926 Rex Acme 1923 Triumph Ricardo
1928 Rudge Dirt Track 1959 Norton Café Racer
1964 Royal Enfield 250 1968 Lambretta
1960 Triumph Tigress 1962 BSA Star
1939 Francis Barnett 1918 BSA Model K
1921 Humber 4.5hp 1927 Norton
1918 Lea Francis 1937 Sunbeam
1947 Velocette 1950 BSA Bantam
1962 Francis Barnett Fulmar 1928 Omega
1974 Triumph Tiger 100 1927 Rudge Combination
2000 Overlander 1958 Manx Norton
1926 Triumph Model P 2006 Triumph
1936 Coventry Eagle M4 1920 Invicta
1923 R&H 1924 Rudge
1932 Francis Barnett Kestrel 1936 Francis Barnett Stag
1937 Rudge Sports Special 1939 Triumph Speed Twin
The following can also be seen in an “open storage” area to one side of the main display:
1911 Rudge1921 Kenilworth 1936 Coventry Eagle
1911 BSA1963 James 1919 Triumph Baby
1962 Francis Barnett Plover 1920 Stafford Pup
1958 Francis Barnett Falcon 1963 Caldicott
1961 Greeves 1958 James
1948 Royal Enfield 1925 Humber
1926 AJS 1927 Francis Barnett
1934 Francis Barnett Cruiser 1952 BSA C11
1923 Wee McGregor 1924 McKenzie
1965 Triumph Tina 1947 Francis Barnett
1920 Hobart 1962 BSA C15
1925 Rover 1924 Lea Francis
1940 Rudge Autocycle 1938 Rudge
1955 BSA Gold Flash
Two rare Humbers repatriated
We are pleased to have secured two extremely rare Humber machines that had  previously been exported overseas. The 1921 4.5 hp is an interesting flat twin of 601 cc, known at the time as the “Silent Humber” because of its smooth and silent running. Only five of these bikes are known to exist, and ours is the only one currently on display to the public. It can be seen in the new Motorcycle Gallery at Coventry (see above).
Our other find is a lovely  1929 Humber 350 ohc, a fine sporting middleweight which has spent most of its life in Australia. Again, only four other examples are known to the VMCC, and we are looking forward to exhibiting it at events around the country as soon as we have finished its restoration.
New Acquisition Hazlewood Combination
Our latest acquisition a rare motorcycle combination from Coventry based Hazlewood. Further information will follow about this and details about where we intend to get it onto public display. More info in the "Machines" section.
NEW ACQUISITIONS ....Prevented from going overseas
Two new acquisitions made by the trust were made especially satisfying by knowledge that other prospective buyers were overseas collectors. A recent Bonhams Auction produced not one but two fine machines. A 1918 Lea Francis, a make that we have wanted to see represented in the collection for some little while, and a 1920 Diamond 2.5hp made in Wolverhampton.
Both Motorcycles are in fine order and will shortly be going on public display at one of the museum collections. Photos on the Machines section.
Press Release MUSEUM WINS MOTORCYCLE GRANT
The British Motorcycle Charitable Trust, which exists to preserve and promote the heritage of Britain’s motorcycle industry, has awarded a development grant of £162,500 to Coventry’s Transport Museum. The grant has been awarded to both support the further development of the museum’s motorcycle gallery, and to undertake a two year research project into Coventry’s motorcycling history.
Brian Wood, chairman of the BMCT said “We are delighted to support the ongoing expansion at Coventry, particularly as recent developments have done so much to secure its recognition as one of the world’s leading transport museums. This is the first grant of this scale we have awarded for a museum development and we will be monitoring its success very closely to ensure that our country’s motorcycle history is recorded and promoted in a manner that educates the public, does justice to the industry, and opens up the way for grants to other organisations in the future”.
Joe Elliott, chairman of the museum’s board is delighted with this grant and said “We are most grateful to the British Motorcycle Charitable Trust for this most generous grant as it allows us to ensure that our motorcycle history is portrayed in the best way for the benefit and education of all our users. The award reflects the growing and widening reputation of the museum and we are tremendously grateful to the Trust for their active and ongoing support”.
The new motorcycle gallery is planned to be finished in early 2006 and the research contract will produce a history of the city’s motorcycle manufacturers by the Spring of 2007. Steve Bagley, the Curator of the museum, would be interested to hear from anyone with relevant knowledge who would like to get involved in the development of the gallery. He can be contacted at the museum on 024 7683 2425.
Membership of the British Motorcycle Charitable Trust is open to anyone with an interest in British motorcycles. An annual subscription helps to find, preserve and exhibit significant motorcycles from our admirable engineering past for future generations. Go to their web site at www.bmct.org for more details or email info@bmct.org
Ends…
Further information available from:
* British Motorcycle Charitable Trust – Andy Bufton
* Coventry Transport Museum – Lucy Rumble
NEW RACING GALLERY OPENS AT SAMMY MILLER MUSEUM
The BMCT were represented by Andy Bufton at a glittering ceremony to officially open the new extension to the acclaimed Sammy Miller Museum.
A whole host of stars of yesteryear were in attendance to see John Surtees MBE declare the new collection open. Among the many former champions present were Tommy Robb, Stuart Graham, Gordon Jackson, and Roy Peplow, to name but a few.
Sammy himself introduced a televised tribute from Murray Walker (in Malaysia for the F1 car GP) before handing over to “Big John” for the unveiling. After the ceremony there was a demonstration of some of the unique bikes from the museum, topped off by Sammy giving an exuberant wheelie display on his trials Ariel.
The quality of the exhibits in the new Racing Gallery is simply astonishing. Sammy admits that his favourite of all is the “Mona Lisa” of motorcycles, the 1939 V4 AJS racer.
Visit soon*, and see the autographs of those who attended the opening on the petrol pumps just inside the entrance.
Congratulations to you Sammy, from all at the BMCT.
[* Remember Trust Members are entitled to Complimentary Family Admission, so don't forget your membership card
THE KIRBY BSA RESTORATION PROJECT
We have recently been made aware of another major restoration project concerning a rare peice of motorcycling history almost lost in the NMM fire :-
the ex- Terry Vinicombe Kirby BSA outfit which won the 1968 750cc sidecar TT at the Isle of Man and was Tom Kirby's only TT winner.
This painstaking restoration is being undertaken by a committed team led by Roland Pickett and is documented on a website www.picketts.ukonline.co.uk with many fascinating photographs.
VINTAGE MOTOR CYCLE CLUB
The factory records for large numbers of British bikes have been transferred to the Vintage Motor Cycle Club library from the Science Museum in London. The archive consists of eight hundred production and despatch record books identifying production, competition and works machinery. For more details contact the VMCC on library@vmcc.net.
BANSHEE
The BMCT’s recently restored Banshee was one of the victorious Sammy Miller Museum team machines at this year’s Graham Walker Run. Sammy’s team made a clean sweep of the awards aided by the Banshee which ran faultlessly throughout. See it at Sammy’s museum, along with other BMCT bikes, including the interesting Whippet motor scooter which has just emerged from the workshops after a nine month restoration.
SPREADING THE WORD ....
The board of trustees at the BMCT are currently involved in projects which we hope will increase the profile and scope of our work in motorcycle preservation and exhibition.
We hope to bring you more news in the very near future.
The email address for general enquiries is info@bmct.org. Please let us have any news, views or stories and information which will help us in our aim to locate and preserve rare British bikes.
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