www.britishdealernews.co.uk Interim leadership at Polaris [Michael Speetzen] Triumph replaces defunct Three Cross Outlet [Destination Triumph Dorset]
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Bucketlist: Ride a classic banked circuit Get your stoppers gleaming: how to clean your motorbike's brakes Major changes on the way for KTM 890 Adventure
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Top 10 pioneering motorcycles that were way before their time Bajaj Auto: world’s most valuable motorcycle manufacturer worth $13.6bn First product of Triumph-Bajaj collaboration pushed back to 2023
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The 2021 Bristol Veloce 500 Lands In the Philipines [sic]
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The sell through rate was 83% A 1925 Brough Superior tops a reasonable auction In an ever changeable universe (coronavirus, Brexit, Donald Trump, etc), it's reassuring to know that there are still some constants—such as the (outrageous?) price of Brough Superior motorcycles. Case in point is the above 1925 SS100 (Lot 125) that was recently (19th December 2020) flogged off by Mssrs H&H at the National Motorcycle Museum (NMM) near Solihull, West Midlands.  The sale price for this hunk of motorcycling aristocracy was £184,000 and is apparently one of "possibly" 20 known examples—which, in BS terms (and we've mentioned before somewhere), makes it as common as muck.
But of course it's not muck. It's a very competent and stylish 1,000cc OHV JAP V-twin powered bike, and we wouldn't boot it out of the garage if it stumbled between our loving legs. But we wouldn't hand over £184k for it either. It just doesn't strike us as that remarkable and isn't attached in any obvious way to any celeb except, of course, George Brough himself who probably had his mitts on it at some time. But some folk have deeper pockets than us and evidently "know a bargain when they see one", so we'll leave it right there and will go and pick on someone else. It looks like there were 175 motorcycle lots in the sale. Of that 175, 145 found buyers, with three withdrawn. That boils down to a sell-through rate of 83% (and remember our maths is lousy). And 83% is pretty good, especially during these troubled economic times (although we might mention that there are plenty of folk making a fortune these days, largely because of the pandemic and Brexit). The next highest selling item was Lot 55, a 1936 Brough Superior SS80 which sold for £55,200. And we might mention a couple of other Broughs (one estimated at £70k - £80k, and one at £35k to £45k which didn't sell on the day, but are under offer). 
▲ 1944 Triumph 3HW. This handsome 350cc OHV ex-WD bike (Lot 149) was despatched by Meriden to Littlewoods in Liverpool for onward distribution to the British Army. There's some dispute about when it was actually built (1940 v 1944), but there's a V5C present. No history with the bike. It was part of the National Motorcycle Museum's reserve collection. Dry stored. Ex-display bike. Needs recom. The price? £12,650. Not bad. 
▲ 1968 BSA A65 Spitfire Mk4. Here's Lot 137, a restored 650cc Beezer twin fresh from the National Motorcycle Museum reserve collection. These motorcycles look as good today as when they were launched in the mid-1960s. But it's only in recent years that we've seen prices hit ten grand. But this one pipped that at £10,925. Needs re-commissioning. Matching numbers. Showing 734 miles (for what that's worth). 
▲ 1955 Vincent Black Prince. This was Lot 35, and it didn't find a buyer. The estimate was £60,000 - £65,000, which is about right for these 1,000cc Series D Stevenage roadsters. But some folk simply can't get past the plastic, mentally speaking. So they're a bit hit and miss on the auction block. We like 'em plenty, simply for their oddness. But that kind of money is too much for any Vincent (in our grovellingly humble opinion). It was described as "well maintained", but close up shots suggest to us that it was actually a little tatty and leaky. Might still be available, so talk to H&H if you're a Black Prince kind of guy, or gal. 
▲ 1939 Vincent HRD Series A Comet. The selling points were: Correct numbers on its original registration
Restored by its previous owner in 1999/2000 to a very good standard
In good running order and used regularly
Comprehensive history file including photos/letters from previous owners, copy of original build sheet, Vincent Owners Club letter of authenticity, old MOT's, original manual and other associated paperwork
Fitted with dual front alloy brake plates
Current V5C and old RF60 continuation buff logbook
Described by our vendor as "a dream to ride and an easy starter". Most of all, we think, it just looks so good. This pre-war 500cc single (Lot 68) found a buyer at £44,850. 
▲ 1969 BSA D14/10 Bantam (Lot 9). Over the past five years or so we've seen some very unlikely prices being asked for BSA Bantams—which are still great fun to ride. Two grand. Three grand. Three and a half grand. We know of one bloke who spent somewhere around £20k having his Bantam professionally restored (there's a sidelong comment or two we could make about that, but we're feeling generous today and we ain't going there). So it pleases us a lot to see that this 175cc example was sold for a very reasonable £1,250. Ex-NMM. Needs the usual workshop inspection and prep before use. Pity we missed that one. Overall, the sale doesn't look too shabby. Some stuff strikes us as a little low (when compared to, say, a year or two ago). But other classic stuff has moved up a notch or two, and that might simply be a matter of price adjustment in  line with fashion. It happens. H&H, meanwhile, is claiming a near £2million overall turnover and reckons that it shifted 100 percent of the NMM reserve collection. We haven't checked every bike (life's too short, and we're busy dodging the virus), but it sounds reasonable. Certainly the company is sounding pleased with the results of its final sale of 2020.
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New(ish) Central London motorcycle tyre workshop Buy online, or ride in for a fitting quote As far as we know, these guys have been around since August 2020 (but don't quote us on that). The point is, they've only recently come to our attention—and it's always wise to stay in the loop regarding motorcycle services and related suppliers. This outfit is run by Chris and Ben—Ben being Ben Cope who used to run Visordown but has since moved onto other projects. As far as we call tell, he's a pretty shrewd character and knows what he's doing. But he's no special friend of ours, so you can make up your own mind about this latest venture. Two Tyres is based in the Lambeth area of London; think Battersea Park or the Oval sports ground. The business will flog you tyres online, or will fit whatever rubber you bring (subject to their workshop charges). They deal with all types of motorcycles from tourers to cruisers to crotch rockets to classics. Tip: ask about track tyres. You can also enjoy these services: Motorcycle puncture repair
Motorcycle battery supply and fit
Motorcycle brake servicing
Motorcycle, moped and scooter servicing
Motorcycle oil and filter changes
Replacing wheel bearings
Supply and fitting a chain and sprockets We're not recommending these guys. But we're certainly not warning you. We wouldn't carry this story if we had any concerns there. Good enough? Here's an address and other contact details: Two Tyres 15-17 Clyston Street
London
SW8 4TT www.twotyres.co.uk 0207 205 2205 
 One final word. Go and check your tyres before you next ride your bike. Better that you discover an accident waiting to happen before that accident actually happens. Are we right?
Happy new year if we don't speak to you again before then. And try and stay locked down until the vaccine's rolled out everywhere. It just might say your life.
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Big Brother Watch has launched a new petition A recall of Parliament is demanded The boys and girls at Big Brother Watch (BBW) have been in touch again, this time appealing for signatures on their latest petition. This relates to Prime Minister Boris Johnson who's effectively "cancelled Christmas". BBW feels that Johnson needs to explain his latest diktat and justify it before the nation's MPs. And once again, we should point out that we've got some misgivings about BBW. But then, we've got misgivings about pretty much everything. So we're always listening to what they have to say even though we're not necessarily persuaded by all their claims and arguments. The organisation, however, certainly has a valid point that Boris has left himself wide open for much criticism regarding his recent failed promises to (a) give Xmas the go-ahead, and (b) his refusal to criminalise anyone wanting to celebrate or otherwise mark the festive season in the traditional way. And in a parliamentary democracy, there has to be full accountability where possible. On the other hand, poor old Boris, who's since cancelled the festivities, is going to be damned for acting too slowly, damned for acting too quickly, damned for being in control, damned for not being in control, and damned for doing pretty much anything. You'd think he was personally responsible for the arrival of the virus (although okay, he does have a few more questions to address regarding the government's anti-virus strategies over the past year). Overall, we think he's doing the very best he can, and it's hard to see who else is in the frame who could do a better job. Certainly not Keir Starmer. However, you've no doubt got your own views, so sign the petition or don't sign it. But whatever else you (and Santa) do this Christmas, make sure you STAY AWAY FROM US! This new variant of Covid-19 might well be over-hyped (as some are saying). But we're keeping well locked down until the boffins agree on what's going on and how to deal with it. Not that they ever agree about anything. And that's no bad thing.  As we write, a little over 4,100 people have signed the petition. But 10,000 sigs are needed to trigger an official government response. We're not sure that that will directly lead to a parliamentary recall. Nevertheless, it might indirectly help speed things along.
Stay safe, peeps. Recall Parliament petition
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Maybe they should have a petition suggesting people stay away from each other a bit more. Quite frankly, we're in the position we are because too many people are carrying on as if there is no virus (like lemmings in other words). Packed beaches in the summer (remember?). Packed shops for the sales. Packed pubs and other venues before each restriction. And packed illegal raves and parties. Slack PPE behaviour at every turn. It really is a great way to control a pandemic. Never mind looking to Boris for excuses. The BBW people should look to themselves for accountability
and so should everyone else.—The Village Squire
Dear Sumpers, your Orwellian friends [They're not our friends—Ed] are perhaps a bit too easily riled. My advice to them is; "pick your fight". The Village Squire represents the views of much of the population I suspect, and now may not be the time to challenge the decisions made to protect lives. Follow Keir Starmer's lead, you can attack Boris and his competence, (which is a bit like shooting fish in a barrel on so many fronts right now) but appearing to counter decisions to save lives is a not a winning position. However come the revolution brothers...—Phil Cowley
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Once again, we're seeing some significant price adjustments But overall, classic bike prices continue to fall We counted around 258 motorcycles at the recent Bonhams Winter Sale at Bicester, Oxon—plus many other items of memorabilia. It's hard to give precise numbers because Bonhams hasn't yet sent us a statement of the event, and we've got too much going on at the moment to spend valuable time counting and recounting each and every bike and checking the small print (withdrawn, etc). But roughly speaking, we think we that 237 motorcycles were sold, and 21 weren't. We're talking about complete bikes (with two 3-wheelers and two 4-wheelers in the list from the likes of Morgan, Douglas, AJS and BSA). So 258 lots covers it. But if exact numbers are important to you, you'll have to do your own counting. And no, we can't simply look at where the lots begin and where they end because they're not consecutively numbered. Regardless, once again we're seeing some very low prices (when compared to what classic bikes were fetching a decade ago). And it points to a little readjustment as some bikes have moved up in terms of appeal and therefore value, while others have clearly moved down. But let's get the top selling lot out of the way first, and that bike was the immediately above 1936 Brough Superior 982cc SS100 (Lot 232) which sold for a whopping £276,000 including premium. Special factory-fitted features of this machine include: Foot gear control
Separate oil tank c/w filter and C&S cap
Battery on engine pin bracket
Detachable carrier – not fitted
Small type curved top pannier bags
Non-valanced rear split guard – Wasdell
Wasdell front guard – with flap
Alum oil bath front chain case
Top & bottom rear chain covers
Amal handlebar fittings – R & LH internal twist grips
LHS brake pedal
Pillion footrests
Propstand
Dual silencer & fishtails What makes it more valuable than many other SS100s is that this bike carries the lowest engine number of any Matchless (AMC) powered Brough Superior (see Sump Classic Bike News November 2020 for more on this). Bonhams had estimated £260,000 - £280,000, so they got this one spot on at £276k (or are there other factors at work here?). This machine had been part of the National Motorcycle Museum (NMM) Reserve Collection. But it's been flogged off like the family silver largely, if not entirely, because of the coronavirus hitting museum visitor numbers. That's the "official" dope, anyway. 
And there were plenty more motorcycles selling for much less impressive numbers. Such as a 1950 Vincent Meteor for £12,650, and a 1952 Vincent Comet for £13,800. Or a 1979 Triumph Bonneville T140 with just 7 miles on the clock for £5,750 (Lot 222, see image immediately above; also part of the NMM Reserve Collection). 
Or how about a 1959 T120 Bonnie (Lot 218) for £11,500? A few years ago these Trumpets were asking, and often getting, £15,000. Granted that this one has been unused for some time. But it has been fully restored by noted experts and is showing just 500 miles or so since that rebuild. And there are many other examples of cut-price British classics. But okay, it went the other way too. For instance a 1957 498cc Triumph TRW was expected to sell for £4,000 - £6,000, which we thought was perhaps a bit mean. But the bike (Lot 224) actually sold for an impressive £10,120. Much more than we expected. Meanwhile, Lot 205 was a Royal Enfield Series 1 Interceptor that fetched £10,350, which looks like a fairly decent price (although we don't see enough of them for sale to be certain of that). We suspect that the wider resurgence of Royal Enfield has had something to do with what appears to be rising prices of these classic twins. Other interesting lots (pricewise) are Lot 207, a 1939 599cc Ariel Square Four which sold for £20,700, and Lot 208 a 1935 Ariel Square Four 4F 601cc which realised £25,300. 
▲ 1960 646cc BSA A10. This was the motorcycle combination used in the first series of the Lovejoy TV show starring Ian McShane (as Lovejoy, right) and Chris Jury (as Eric, left). The bike has had a lot of modifications (much by SRM Engineering), and it was restored ten years ago. A new tank has been fitted, but the original is available. A V5C is present too. The bike sold for £5,750 which is about average for a BSA A10. But we might have expected this motorised antique and TV star to do a little better. No? 
▲ Grasstracking ain't our thing. But if it was, at £1,610 we might be tempted to take home this c1938 249cc Triumph Tiger 70 once owned by noted motorcycle racer and enthusiast Peter McManus. No docs, but it looks pretty much all there. Cheap pre-war off-road fun—and there were many more at similar prices where this came from. 
▲ c1955 160cc Cimatti. Founded in 1937 by Olympic gold medal cyclists Marco Cimatti, the firm started with bicycles and late made a variety of lightweights and three-wheels. Never such a big name in the UK, these bikes were popular in the USA. The business went to the wall in 1984. No docs with this one. Restored. Stylish. Very. £2,530. 
▲ 1954 499cc Vincent Series C Comet. Not super cheap at £16,100. But the steady rise of Comets over the past 5 - 10 years appears to have slowed and even slipped a little. Some still see these machines as second fiddles in the Vincent orchestra. But in fact plenty of Comet owners feel that you can push these (lighter) 90mph singles much harder on the road than the twins and therefore get more fun from them. A copy V5, part V5C, and the original logbook is available. Six private owners from new.
The upshot of all this is that, as we said, there's some price adjustment going on. But overall, it seems that many classic bike prices are still 25 - 30 percent down on what they were ten years ago. Some of those adjustments strike us as perfectly "fair" and reasonable. Triumph TRWs for instance, have long been under-valued. And (dare we suggested it?) 1959 T120s were overvalued. Beyond all that, another apparent change is the price of flat tankers which seem to be struggling a little, but not desperately so. As ever, we'll be taking a closer look at this sale and trying to work out exactly which way the wind is blowing. The bottom line is that we can't take prices for granted (as if we ever really could). There are some clear "bargains" around if we're patient and keep a weather eye on the auctions. If we had to say, we think that we haven't yet hit the bottom, pricewise. See also: Sump Magazine Bonhams Winter Sale, Dec 2020
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I see that the1979 T140 7 push miles only that sold for £5,750 at Bonhams is now for sale on Ebay at £13995! —Roy Cole
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Two models in the line-up Capacity raised from 744cc to 853cc Moto Guzzi has released details of its revised V7 range, and aside from a fairly decent power increase and a few styling tweaks, there's not much to get excited about. But check the details and decide for yourself. So if you're so minded, flip over to our Motorcycle News page and see if anything grabs ya. Sump Motorcycle News December 2020
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www.britishdealernews.co.uk Bike broker buys into artificial intelligence [Principal Insurance] NMDA Comment on November motorcycle registrations Ride free with Bennetts [90 free Compulsory Basic Training course]
www.motorcyclenews.com Royal Enfield Meteor 350 could be the ultimate budget city bike Camden shock: Council plans extortionate bike parking charges
www.bennetts.co.uk/bikesocial New Royal Enfield Meteor 350 launched in Europe Exotic tie-in creates MV Agusta Superveloce Alpine
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Norton Interim CEO releases statement regarding 961 deposits 
Official specs and price for UK-bound Royal Enfield Meteor 350
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Honda could come out with CB350 Scrambler soon
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Saturday 19th December 2020 is the date The NMM is the venue Here's a reminder that H&H will be holding a live auction on Saturday 19th December 2020 at the National Motorcycle Museum, Solihull (B92 0EJ). We've been checking the 174-lot catalogue, and there's some very decent stuff there including British, European and Japanese classics. We're talking about six or seven Vincents, at least three Broughs, plus some other pre-war exotica. There's some plastic racer stuff that doesn't appeal much to us. And there's a fair range of flat tankers if you're into pioneer era bikes. Also see the 1937 Triumph 6S De Luxe at the top of this page. We've got our eye on that, but the garage is pretty full. 
Interesting/rare bikes include the immediately above 750cc 1934 Douglas Z1 Powerflow. Can't remember that we've ever seen one of these in the wild, and possibly not in captivity either, come to that. This example is unregistered and is an incomplete barn find, so it's probably for hardcore Douglas fans only. Then again, pretty much all Douglas motorcycles are for hardcore Douglas fans, aren't they? Although technically not a Powerflow (the name wasn't used until 1935), this bike is nevertheless essentially the same flathead 76mm x 82mm flat twin that was intended as a sidecar hack. Customers could opt for a 4-speed foot change or 4-speed hand change gearbox, this example being the former. There was no sump on this engine. The oil was carried in a compartment in the petrol tank and fed by gravity and a gear driven pump. Moving the oil from low to high, incidentally, was a shame because some earlier Douglas engines featured a beautiful finned sump beneath the motor. But Bristol based Douglas (1907 - 1957) had been struggling for survival in the 1930s, and cost cutting was demanded to keep the marque afloat. That's a Lucas magdyno above the intake manifold, incidentally. 
▲ By 1937 the British Aircraft Company had taken over Douglas and reconfigured the business as Aero Engines. Pride & Clarke, a London distribution and retail firm that was always quick on the trigger when it came to new marketing opportunities, became the sole agent for the marque and assembled machines directly from stock. But the 750cc bikes didn't survive and were supplanted by more cost effective models.  Performance was on par with rival machines from other manufacturers, but Douglas still had plenty of street cred thanks to its various TT successes, and these fore-and-aft flat twins carried their weight low (minimising wind resistance) and generally delivered smoother mustard than many rivals.
Bonhams flogged a very clean example (with a chair) back in 2013 and realised £8,050. H&H is anticipating £5,000 - £7,000 which sounds realistic. Other lots include: 
▲ Lot 172. 1929 Morgan Super Aero fitted with an 1,100cc water-cooled JAP engine and, we're guessing, a 3-speed plus reverse gearbox. The estimate is £32,000 - £36,000. Cool pre-war seat-of-the-pants motoring. 
▲ Lot 155. 1950 Triumph T100 with rare Meriden factory touring kit. If you're looking for some laid back classic touring, you could so much worse than this stylish 500cc Trumpet. Dry-stored. Will require some re-commissioning. Ex-display bike. Estimate: £5,000 - £7,000.
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Creditors force closure Bad day for Triumph, and even worse for Ducati Last year (2019) this dealership turned over a very respectable £8.9 million. This year, with the impact of Covid-19, the nine month accounts to 31st October turnover fell to £5.5 million. So the creditors (said to be Clydesdale Bank) have pulled the plug. Lack of spare cash/working capital appears to be at the root of this particular evil. Sounds like something else is going on here? Maybe. We're no accountants. But it seems that given the status quo, it doesn't appear that this company has actually done that badly—and the signs are good that 2021 will see a big general improvement in the UK economy. Hence our uninformed feeling that this closure is premature. So where does that leave the firm? Well, it appears that the creditors are looking for some kind of commercial continuity, and they're hoping that someone will come in at the fire-sale level, if necessary, and keep this ship afloat. And that reinforces our (ignorant?) suspicion that there's another "person of colour" in this particular woodpile [oh-oh, we could get a reaction over that comment—Ed]. Triumph also enjoys Scottish dealer representation in Edinburgh and Aberdeen. But Ducati Glasgow is the only Ducati dealership north of the Scottish border. Someone will surely take up this opportunity; probably one of the bigger combines looking to consolidate its grasp on a few more throttles. And if so, a Christmas bargain is possibly to be had.
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A good turnover, but that was also probably a big loss. It's all about
profit, not turnover. No doubt the finances weren't too good. They
probably won't be the last as many newer dealerships set out with large
debts (overheads) from day one—The Village Squire
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