VELOCETTE SUMMER RALLY, MONTANA, PART 1

The 2007 Velocette Owner's Club of North America held its annual Summer Rally in the hamlet of Hot Springs, Montana. It was indeed hot there, as the whole area has been experiencing a drought, and many wildfires burned out of control in parts of the state, diminishing visibility of the Rockies. About 65 bikes participated, half a dozen being ridden from SoCal (1500 miles), with a couple ridden from NorCal (1000 miles). That's committment on a 40-plus year old motorcycle.

Our rally hub was Symes Hot Springs, a funky 1930-era hotel with many cabins nearby, and a big lawn for all of our campers.
Top pic shows Monday's lunch stop at Rosie's Cafe in the small town of Superior. The cafe was in a converted schoolhouse, and I think we overwhelmed them! Still, a nice lineup outside for those who cared, and a shady spot for us to park. Second pic outside Rosie's shows my Clubman next to Keith Hoglund's immaculate Thruxton, replendent with blue fairing. My ride ended 10 miles later when my front brake locked up in a corner... mechanical failure causing me to exit the bike rapidly and meet the asphalt up close and personal. Next pic shows me after a short visit to Mineral Community Hospital for x-rays etc - nothing broken, just knocked and scraped. Smile courtesy of a nice shot of painkiller.
Next pics are of the rally grounds, where as always there is work to be done. White MSS belongs to Larry Luce, and as you might guess, it had been ridden from LA. Perhaps he's checking his front brake....actually he's installing a new tire, which Mick Felder brought with him from LA. When you ride thousands of miles, you need fresh tires!
Next pic shows a little fuel tank repair; any repair draws a crowd of mostly distracting but good-natured kibbitzers, and this simple operation was no exception. Note hand entering from right, attached to kibbitzer telling a tale of fuel tank woe no doubt.
The scenery in Montana is big - the landscape has a curious quality, as the scale of space

between major features creates and outsize impression. The mountains, although not necessarily tall, feel wonderfully craggy.
Next pic shows outgoing president Matt Young conducting the Rider's Meeting on Monday morning.

















Last pair of pix show Jeff Scott's Endurance; I found this bike on the edge of the desert in SoCal - see second pic. I completely stripped the machine, cleaned it, replaced what was worn out, and put it back together. Jeff rode it from San Francisco to the rally and back, a total of 4500 miles. Mechanically the bike proved sound, although it burned through three magnetos!

VELOCETTE SUMMER RALLY, MONTANA, PART 1

The 2007 Velocette Owner's Club of North America held its annual Summer Rally in the hamlet of Hot Springs, Montana. It was indeed hot there, as the whole area has been experiencing a drought, and many wildfires burned out of control in parts of the state, diminishing visibility of the Rockies. About 65 bikes participated, half a dozen being ridden from SoCal (1500 miles), with a couple ridden from NorCal (1000 miles). That's committment on a 40-plus year old motorcycle.

Our rally hub was Symes Hot Springs, a funky 1930-era hotel with many cabins nearby, and a big lawn for all of our campers.
Top pic shows Monday's lunch stop at Rosie's Cafe in the small town of Superior. The cafe was in a converted schoolhouse, and I think we overwhelmed them! Still, a nice lineup outside for those who cared, and a shady spot for us to park. Second pic outside Rosie's shows my Clubman next to Keith Hoglund's immaculate Thruxton, replendent with blue fairing. My ride ended 10 miles later when my front brake locked up in a corner... mechanical failure causing me to exit the bike rapidly and meet the asphalt up close and personal. Next pic shows me after a short visit to Mineral Community Hospital for x-rays etc - nothing broken, just knocked and scraped. Smile courtesy of a nice shot of painkiller.
Next pics are of the rally grounds, where as always there is work to be done. White MSS belongs to Larry Luce, and as you might guess, it had been ridden from LA. Perhaps he's checking his front brake....actually he's installing a new tire, which Mick Felder brought with him from LA. When you ride thousands of miles, you need fresh tires!
Next pic shows a little fuel tank repair; any repair draws a crowd of mostly distracting but good-natured kibbitzers, and this simple operation was no exception. Note hand entering from right, attached to kibbitzer telling a tale of fuel tank woe no doubt.
The scenery in Montana is big - the landscape has a curious quality, as the scale of space

between major features creates and outsize impression. The mountains, although not necessarily tall, feel wonderfully craggy.
Next pic shows outgoing president Matt Young conducting the Rider's Meeting on Monday morning.

















Last pair of pix show Jeff Scott's Endurance; I found this bike on the edge of the desert in SoCal - see second pic. I completely stripped the machine, cleaned it, replaced what was worn out, and put it back together. Jeff rode it from San Francisco to the rally and back, a total of 4500 miles. Mechanically the bike proved sound, although it burned through three magnetos!

FIRST ANNUAL GIRDER FORK RUN

Pete Young,
Paul Adams, and myself have been wanting to host a day ride exclusively for older motorcycles, which we named the 'Girder Fork Run', although it was open to motorcycles with leading link, leaf sprung, trailing link, paralellogram, or other non-telescopic forks. I didn't get an exact count, but around 25 machines rolled up to the Alpine Inn in Portola valley this morning, ranging in age from my '28 Sunbeam to several '49 Indians and Paul Zell's Velocette mkVIII KTT. His bike fills the first two pix, and what a beautiful machine it is; some afficianados consider the mkVIII one of the most beautiful motorcycles ever made, and I'd have to agree. It's great that Paul rides it regularly on the roads of the Bay Area. It easily outclassed all other bikes present in terms of performance, and we hardly saw Paul all day, as he did the 80-mile route twice... we were lapped!

Next pic shows Pete giving our riding instructions in the morning outside the Alpine Inn, established in 1852. It's a funky old plank-floor bar, and a great spot for a ride locus, sitting at the edge of Arastradero and Alpine Roads, both very motorcycle-friendly, if you like narrow, winding, hilly, and pot-holed tracks. Lots of bicycles on the road too, which can be quite a hazard.

Paul Adams' '38 Model 18 Norton Trials model is the next pic, which he finished last year. Paul is one of the premier Norton restorers on the globe, and has a great collection of mostly racing machines from '23 - '62, both restored and unrestored. This Trials model handles beautifully and has a great bark.

Next is a '30 Indian Scout, slightly bobbed, owned by Indian Rick DeCost. It gets along well; there was a large contingent of Indian riders accompanying the Britbikes, and they seemed to get along ok with the narrow bumpy roads, although their forte is something more sweeping.

Kevin Burrell's '29 Norton Model 18 was ridden two-up with his son on the 'flapper bracket'; he only complained about the bigger bumps. Kevin bought this bike with incorrect petrol and oil tanks, and has made a nice job of bringing the machine back to standard, and running very well.

Charlie Taylor's Matchless Model X, with it's 1000cc v-twin sidevalve engine, is a touch of exotica among the other rarities on the ride. The engine is shared with the Brough Superior SS80, and is smooth and docile.

Paul Adams stands in the shade of a light pole halfway through the ride; the weather was just about perfect all day. His smile speaks volumes about the quality of the ride - good job Pete!

Well, he had work to do though... as usual, adjusting Kim's '30 KSS. Note copious oil drops.
Still the San Gregorio General Store is a nice spot to work on a bike. The store had some live acoustic music, groceries, books, and a bar!

FIRST ANNUAL GIRDER FORK RUN

Pete Young,
Paul Adams, and myself have been wanting to host a day ride exclusively for older motorcycles, which we named the 'Girder Fork Run', although it was open to motorcycles with leading link, leaf sprung, trailing link, paralellogram, or other non-telescopic forks. I didn't get an exact count, but around 25 machines rolled up to the Alpine Inn in Portola valley this morning, ranging in age from my '28 Sunbeam to several '49 Indians and Paul Zell's Velocette mkVIII KTT. His bike fills the first two pix, and what a beautiful machine it is; some afficianados consider the mkVIII one of the most beautiful motorcycles ever made, and I'd have to agree. It's great that Paul rides it regularly on the roads of the Bay Area. It easily outclassed all other bikes present in terms of performance, and we hardly saw Paul all day, as he did the 80-mile route twice... we were lapped!

Next pic shows Pete giving our riding instructions in the morning outside the Alpine Inn, established in 1852. It's a funky old plank-floor bar, and a great spot for a ride locus, sitting at the edge of Arastradero and Alpine Roads, both very motorcycle-friendly, if you like narrow, winding, hilly, and pot-holed tracks. Lots of bicycles on the road too, which can be quite a hazard.

Paul Adams' '38 Model 18 Norton Trials model is the next pic, which he finished last year. Paul is one of the premier Norton restorers on the globe, and has a great collection of mostly racing machines from '23 - '62, both restored and unrestored. This Trials model handles beautifully and has a great bark.

Next is a '30 Indian Scout, slightly bobbed, owned by Indian Rick DeCost. It gets along well; there was a large contingent of Indian riders accompanying the Britbikes, and they seemed to get along ok with the narrow bumpy roads, although their forte is something more sweeping.

Kevin Burrell's '29 Norton Model 18 was ridden two-up with his son on the 'flapper bracket'; he only complained about the bigger bumps. Kevin bought this bike with incorrect petrol and oil tanks, and has made a nice job of bringing the machine back to standard, and running very well.

Charlie Taylor's Matchless Model X, with it's 1000cc v-twin sidevalve engine, is a touch of exotica among the other rarities on the ride. The engine is shared with the Brough Superior SS80, and is smooth and docile.

Paul Adams stands in the shade of a light pole halfway through the ride; the weather was just about perfect all day. His smile speaks volumes about the quality of the ride - good job Pete!

Well, he had work to do though... as usual, adjusting Kim's '30 KSS. Note copious oil drops.
Still the San Gregorio General Store is a nice spot to work on a bike. The store had some live acoustic music, groceries, books, and a bar!

2007 BANBURY RUN

The Banbury Run is organized by the VMCC in England, and is open to machines built before
Dec. 31, 1931, which defines the 'Vintage' period, in their terms. This year the entry was limited to 500 machines, ranging from 1897 to 1930, and they turned away hundreds more. The event is held on the grounds of a school in the eponymous town, which clearly has the capacity to park 500 motorcycles, plus a hundred or so post-vintage machines in the adjacent fields, and a large autojumble to boot.
Top two pics show how crowded the grounds became as the day began, especially when the motorcycles were flagged off individually on a 40-mile regularity run in the surrounding countryside. First off, an 1897 Leon Bollet Tandem. I watched the riders chuff away for a while, but it takes a long time to get 500 bikes out of the car park when they must stop to be photographed before leaving.

Luckily, the autojumble (pic 3) was humming, with lots of bikes and parts for sale. Pic shows a of a lineup of interesting machines from just one stall. I saw several Velocette KSS' available, as well as Pioneer and Vintage machines of all stripes, from European to American.


The next set of pix show Velocettes! A 1923 Ladies' Model, similar to the one Keith from Oz has restored, with a USS behind. Below is a 1913 Model A 203cc two-stroke, which belongs to Ivan Rhodes, and is among the oldest Velos still extant. I doubt the paint is original, but it looks great in patina green. Single-speed belt-drive, and note spare belt on the carrier - they do break! I've ridden this machine, and it's... slow. But as an admitted Velo man, an important piece of history for me.

The variety of machines held great appeal, but not enough Continental iron is on display - only three machines (Leon Bollet, BMW R47, and a D-Rad). There were likewise only four Yank bikes (two Indians, one Harley, one Henderson).

Still, the Connaught with Bradbury 'Oil Boiler' engine is a rarity, especially pulling a sidecar. It's a 1922 293cc, so they're not going anywhere fast. What's in that big bag? Note crankcase castings which cover the cylinder for the oil cooling arrangement, inside the unit-construction engine with a wet sump cast into the cases.

Next pic is a Brough Superior 680cc ohv model, which is lovely as are all Broughs - George knew how to style a machine better than Edward Turner of Triumph, and that's saying something. Given the GTO engine with exposed rocker gear, I'd say 1927 or so.

My favorite machine of the day was this Sunbeam Model 90, ca 1927. It has been lovingly modified by a doting owner, and a click on the pic will show how. Twin front brakes with a balance beam a la Vincents (and a double-cable brake lever), friction tape on the handlebars, plus lots of subtle touches which make the machine unique, and very much the owner's machine, and not another replica showbike. Pic below is the 'yes hop on' shot - love the curved magneto and air levers, which is different.





Next machine is ultra-rare and very interesting. A Wilkinson four, made by the Wilkinson sword factory (where your father's shaving razor likely was made as well). Four cylinder water-cooled engine, plus a very comfortable-looking seat upholstered in tuck-and-roll leather! Swank. Earlier models had a steering wheel instead of handlebars.

Below that is the other end of the luxury spectrum - a wooden scooter! It's a 1922 Autoglider Deluxe 2 1/2hp, which the owner says is 'a bit unusual with suspension wobbles at both ends' ! Pic shows owner Alex Taylor aboard the approx. 300cc two-stroke, with it's engine above the front wheel - never a great location for stability, but it's easy to make adjustments on the road! Plus, checking your fuel level is easy, with the petrol tank mounted to the handlebars.... Note the crowds in the background; this shot was taken mid-morning, when half the riders had been flagged off individually (you can see their paper place-markers on the ground), and the remaining riders are suited up and awaiting their number to come up.

The lovely Brown NUT (Newcastle Upon Tyne) caught my eye, a very thorough restoration and a neat machine, ca 1921. 600cc sidevalve JAP engine, and detail photos show a profusion of NUT logos cast into the timing chest and muffler, and below that is the largest and most ex-domicile electrical switch I've ever seen on a motorcycle. Look at that wiring, very tidy, very Victorian.







More rarities; a brace of Ner-a-cars, one with an AJS sidevalve engine, the other with perhaps a JAP sv. Very similar, but different, showing how difficult it must be to restore a machine with such a low production run, but with so many individual touches. I liked seeing double.






















Last but far from least, the most charismatic motorcycle at the rally; a McEvoy with JAP ohv KTOR 1000cc engine. Racing sidecar attached, twin carb setup, long racing tank with loops to attach a belly pad, mighty headlamp stolen from a car, dirty, glorious, noisy, and RIDDEN. This motorcycle is worth nearly as much as my house, but a dedicated owner keeps it on the road, and looking terrific.