National Motorcycle Museum: Saturday 2nd March 2019
Duxford: Wednesday 20th March 2019
The estimate for the immediately above 1974 750cc Norton Commando is £4,500 - £5,000. It's Lot 3, and it should be the first motorcycle to go under the hammer at the next H&H sale to be held at the National Motorcycle Museum in Solihull, West Midlands B92 0EJ.
From this distance it's hard to tell how realistic that estimate is, but the numbers look a little strong in today's market—not least because (a) the bike is unregistered, and (b) there are quite a few Commandos to be had at the moment, some at very competitive prices. However, the bike is said to be in running order (which, okay, can mean a lot of things), and it looks complete.
The Commie is one of 171 lots listed in the catalogue (note that one lot has since been withdrawn), and there looks to be a fair mix of machines from the UK, mainland Europe, Japan and the USA. In fact, H&H reckons that 25% of the bikes on offer on Saturday are Japanese, notably machines from the 1960s (and there are some interesting fish to be landed there). The total estimate for this sale is £1.2 million.
We've already reported on one or two of the bikes going under the hammer. But here are the headline machines; at least, the bikes carrying the biggest financial hopes and expectations:
▲ Lot 122. Brough Superior SS100. We love Broughs, but only as much as we love any big British V-twin. However, a £160k - £200k estimate does much to cool our ardour. So why the big money? Well, this bike was ridden by F P ("Gentleman") Dickson in the International Six Days Trial held in France, Switzerland and Italy in 1930. Dickson was a member of the three-man Brough team which included his good friends George Brough and Eddy Meyer—and George Brough was the first owner of this bike. "Declared complete and correct by Dave Clark, Technical Advisor to the Brough Club." Hmm.
Lot 122: 1930 998cc Brough Superior SS100. Est: £160,000 - £200,000
Lot 110: 1993 550cc Ducati Supermono. Est: £70,000 - £80,000
Lot 57: 1937 990cc Brough Superior SS80 Outfit. Est: £40,000 - £60,000
Lot 73: 1952 250cc Moto Guzzi Gambalunghino. Est: £50,000 - £55,000
Lot 37: 1982 Suzuki RG500 MK7. Est: £35,000 - £40,000
Lot 39: 1951 998cc Vincent Rapide. Est: £35,000 - £38,000
There are a few other bikes that take our fancy. They include:
▲ 1932 Matchless Model X. Knocked around a bit, and incorrect. But it's still carrying an (unlikely?) estimate of £13,000 - £15,000—with the bidding starting at £6,500. Check the link you've just passed for more details
▲ 1926 AJS G4. This flat tanker was built in an era when the Stevens family were still in control of AJS, and their product was pure class. The bike was restored in 1997 and has picked up an award or two here and there (notably Banbury). Needs re-commissioning. Estimated at £7,500 - £8,500. Sounds like a bargain. Period charm. Just needs tweeds.
Meanwhile, H&H has its Motor Car Sale scheduled for 20th March 2019. The venue is Duxford Museum, Cambridgeshire CB22 4QR. If you're a car enthusiast, classic or otherwise (which many of you are), there are one or two jalopies perhaps worth a sidelong glance.
First up is the immediately above Volkswagen XL1. This streamlined jelly mould is an 800cc diesel-engined hybrid build by VW partly to show off, partly to gauge consumer reaction, and partly as an experimental projectile intended to explore new thinking, manufacturing materials and techniques.
Carbon fibre and light alloy metals have been used extensively. The total weight is just 1,749lbs (795kg) and, because of its wind-cheating contours, low drag wheels and "optimised" wheel bearings, it reportedly needs a mere 8bhp to hit 62mph. As for fuel economy, VW reckon it will return 313mpg (and that's British gallons, not the smaller US gallons). Apparently, this machine ranks as the most aerodynamic production cars in the world with a drag coefficient of just 0.186. And yes, we note that in recent history, the general public has good reason to mistrust VW's fuel efficiency claims.
We mention this vehicle largely as a reminder that fuel efficiency has become more and more of an issue with the legislators, and car streamlining is inherently superior to motorcycle streamlining—not withstanding cabin bikes. What it all means is that motorcycle designers need to up their game if they want to keep bikes anywhere near competitive with cars as and when the global warming/carbon footprint noose tightens.
▲ Commander Straker, (played by American actor Ed Bishop, 1932 - 2005) drove a sleek futuristic car in the British TV series UFO (1970). The car evidently anticipated both the Ford Sierra and VW's XL1. Clearly, the wheels keep turning, but sometimes they seem to spin backward.
Yes, we've seen these kinds of concept vehicles many times. But clearly they're not going away. After revealing the car in 2011, VW manufactured 200 of these XL1s, of which 27 examples came to the UK. This one was registered by VW UK, and has since had one owner. It's displaying just 1,185 miles on the clock—which isn't actually much of an advert for any vehicle with a unique selling point based around fuel economy. In other words, you can buy a filthy, gas-guzzling V8 for a lot less money than the £115k new price tag of the XL1 and stick that in the garage unused, instead.
All that aside, H&H reckon that someone will shell out £70,000 - £80,000 for this second-hand two seater.
Finally there's a fair number of E-Type Jags, and other Jags on offer, plus some very desirable big ticket Yankee rolling stock from the thirties, forties—and a handsome and very individualistic 1961 Bristol. But we've taken a shine to the above 1938 Austin 12/4 heavy pick-up truck.
The 1930s was a wonderful era for Herbert Austin and his Longbridge chums. The firm produced some noteworthy saloons, open-topped tourers, military vehicles, taxis, competition machines and suchlike capable of prodigious miles with startling reliability. What makes this pick-up so interesting is the provenance and back story—and if you don't understand the appeal of these cosy pedigrees, historical narratives and industrial legends, you could be on the wrong website. Here's what H&H has to say about this vehicle's journey through the past 80-odd years. So pull up a chair, children, because it's story time...
"This truly glorious-looking vintage pickup is believed to have been constructed from unmatched parts by Longbridge apprentices in 1928 - eg the roller bearing engine hailed from 1924, the chassis from 1927 and the fuel tank from 1928, while the headlights are different diameters. It was one of a fleet of six such vehicles used to transport goods around the factory, which it did until 1938, when Leonard Lord required the trucks to be sold off and apprentice Keith Webb purchased 'EOA 822' for the princely sum of £5, including number plates and tax. During the war it was seconded for the delivery of light goods and groceries around the village of Birdsall, Leeds.
"Ownership then passed to Harold Clark and then his nephew Norman, who registered it to 'James Clark & sons, Undertakers & Joiners', of Skipton. It subsequently passed through several more hands until discovered in a very poor state by Richard Marsden in 1994, and it was his brother-in-law, John Gardiner, who lovingly restored it to its current as-good-as-new condition - the pickup has remained within the current ownership since 1998.
"The refurbishment included the reconditioning of all bodywork and running gear, not least the engine that was completely overhauled. The ash rear body frame was renewed, as were the clutch, radiator matrix, exhaust system, fuel tank, wiring and rear lamps, while indicators were added for safety. The venerable Austin is finished in Grey over Black and rides on Black artillery wheels. The airy fabric-topped cab is a mix of Blue upholstery and polished wood for the facia, headlining and rear bulkhead.
"Nice little touches around the vehicle include Austin Motor Co. Ltd. sill plates, running board-mounted fuel can, pockets in the doors, and a bulkhead-mounted stowage area behind the passenger. The vendor regards 'EOA 822' as being in 'excellent' overall condition."
The estimate for this modest beast of burden is £14,000 - £16,000. We'd put in a bid ourselves, you understand, but we're all out of storage space these days until we unload some bikes, and we haven't quite finished with playing around with those yet.
You know the drill.
www.handh.co.uk
See also Bud Ekins' Husqvarna up for grabs in this sale
Check out: Artisan electric Scooters/motorcycles. Chinese built. Est: 3yrs
Intelligent Speed Limiters (ISLs) "within 3 years" mooted by ETSC
New Watsonian Royal Alloy GP Manx S chair, £4,495. Fitting kit, £450
Reminder: DAH Auctions sale. Saturday 2/3/2019. Nr Driffield, YO25 3XG
New Zero MCs SR/F electric. "Up to 200 mile" range. 54/110bhp. £17.9k
Sadiq Khan's London Transport "junk food" advert ban has begun
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Peter Tork of The Monkees has died
He was 77
There was a time when US pop group The Monkees was talked about as serious rivals to The Beatles. Sounds like heresy today, perhaps—and few people working in the back end of the contemporary music industry would have agreed with the suggestion. But in 1966, when The Monkees TV series hit the screens, kids of a certain age instantly caught the vibe, picked up the songs, bought the records, copied the antics and climbed on-board for what was to be an exciting, but short-lived, voyage of discovery.
Peter Tork was the bass player in the band. He was also one of the songwriters, an occasional vocalist, and was something of a willing fool who brought a little pathos along with the laughs and satisfactorily held up his end of the quartet.
He was born in Washington DC (not in New York as it's sometimes claimed). The Thorkelson family was of Nordic descent on his paternal grandfather's side, and of German-Jewish descent on his mother's.
From an early age he learned to play guitar, banjo and the piano. As a young man he moved to Greenwich Village in New York and became part of the burgeoning folk scene. Sometime after arriving he formed a friendship with Stephen Stills (of Crosby, Stills and Nash fame—or Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young fame if you prefer the later line up). And it was Stills who was invited to accept a role in a new TV show proposed by Bob Rafelson and Bert Schneider (of Raybert Productions); a show about four lads goofing around in the manner of The Beatles in A Hard Day's Night; a movie that had been released two years earlier (although the vague notion of The Monkees is said to have been percolating since sometime around 1960).
Regardless, Stephen Stills turned down the offer and suggested that a musician friend of his named Peter Tork might take the part. And so it was that Tork joined Californian Mickey Dolenz, Texan Mike Nesmith and Englishman Davy Jones.
Despite being a talented muso, Tork (like other members of the band) was initially restricted to merely fronting the session musicians who, famously, played on the first couple of albums that were largely written (or co-written) by songwriting luminaries such as Neil Diamond, Carole King, Carole Bayer Sager, Tommy Boyce, Bobby Hart, Ellie Greenwich, and David Gates.
▲ Left to right, Mike Nesmith, Mickey Dolenz, Peter Tork, Davy Jones
Later, The Monkees became frustrated and disillusioned with merely acting the part of rock'n'roll popsters battling the evil forces of mediocrity and squareness in this successfully syndicated avant-garde madcap serialised comedy skit. The tensions generated here frequently brought the group's members into conflict with the record company and the TV production company management, and occasionally with each other.
By the second series, the awful truth escaped. The Monkees weren't a real band at all. Gosh! They were simply hired actors who, okay, sang along to the music, but didn't even write their own songs. Not then, anyway. They didn't really live together in a two storey beach house with a problematic landlord/father figure. They probably didn't even have the pink slip for the Dean Jefferies designed Pontiac GTO-based Monkeemobile (with the dragster parachute on the back). It was all bogus. Sham. Fake. And therefore totally uncool.
The production company reacted instantly. They had a hit programme and they wanted to keep the bucks rolling in. So they responded by redesigning the look of the band and making them more hippyish (as opposed to clean cut). The foursome were now permitted to twang their own guitars and hit their own skins on and off record. And, importantly, they were given licence to write some of the songs, or at least part of some of the songs. And naturally, they handled the instruments when they played live.
But the game was up. Half the fans moved on to new hero worship. The ratings dropped. The advertisers pulled out. And by 1968, it was all over for the TV series.
After The Monkees, Peter Tork arrived in London and contributed some banjo notes to the soundtrack of the film Wonderwall (1968). Beatle George Harrison wrote the main body of the music, but by the time the album was released, Tork's contribution was missing—however it's there in the film if you listen for it.
For the next few decades Tork's fortunes rose and fell. He created various bands and worked on many musical projects. He spent some time teaching. He travelled around. He fell in and out of personal relationships. And he also spent three months in a jail in Oklahoma for possessing hashish.
▲ The Monkeemobile was created by US custom car designer and Hollywood stuntman Dean Jeffries (not George Barris as is sometimes claimed). Two Pontiac GTO-based cars were built for the TV series and are now said to be in private hands. Meanwhile, replica Monkeemobiles abound.
In 1986 The Monkees staged a partial reunion (no pun intended). Mike Nesmith was by then forging his own musical direction and didn't make an appearance. But Davy Jones and Mickey Dolenz were keen on the idea, if only for financial reasons. The trio found time to record a couple of albums, much of it comprised of material that had been rejected by other music companies. And there were still the old hits to be dusted off and polished with new recording equipment.
Later there were a series of acrimonious disputes and splits, and later still, following the death of Davy Jones in 2012, Peter Tork, Mickey Dolenz and Mike Nesmith appeared together again as a tribute to their fallen friend. For the next few seasons Tork and Dolenz toured as The Monkees. Mike Nesmith occasionally showed up and threw in a few chords.
By then, Peter Tork was facing health issues that had begun a few years earlier and now returned to haunt him. He continued to play, write and perform, but the end was in sight.
Peter Tork was married four times and fathered three children. Some might say that after The Monkees TV show it all went downhill for him. But that wasn't true. He might not have hit the same professional heights as the altitude he reached in the 1960s, but he was nevertheless a very skilled, hard-working, imaginative, energetic and—perhaps most of all—stubbornly committed musician.
He campaigned his own style and experimented constantly with new ideas. He lived the life he lived, filled his time, and he leaves behind tens of thousands of dedicated fans who had either followed his journey from the beginning, or who had discovered him further down the road.
He was 77.
See also: Good Times new album from The Monkees
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Auction date: 10th February 2019
87 lots in the catalogue, 27 not sold (3 withdrawn, 5 blank)
Not a very impressive or exciting auction, overall. The top selling lot was a 1949 Vincent HRD Black Shadow Series C (Lot 50—image immediately above). This bike was expected to sell for somewhere between £55,000 and £65,000, and it didn't disappoint. The hammer came down at a respectable £57,000. Three previous owners. Restored in 2009. Not run very much since.
Should there be a law demanding that all motorcycles must cover at least 1,000 miles per annum on pain of death? We'll vote for it if you will (not that we haven't got one or two guilty examples in the garage that didn't see more than 100 miles last season).
Next up, the above 1985 Ex Georges Jobé Kawasaki GP500 Moto-Crosser (Lot 95—image immediately above) sold for £10,500. Georges Jobé was nine times Belgian National Champion and five times World Champion, twice on 250s.
The bike features numerous special mods including works suspension, a reinforced frame and swinging arm, an aluminium fuel tank, an aluminium radiator, and magnesium engine casings. Also, the saddle is signed by Jobé. The bike has apparently been left in a living room watching TV for the past 25 years, so it will require re-commissioning (and a thorough television detox).
Moving on, a 1924 Triumph SD (Lot 70) sold for £8,500; a 1976 Z900 Kawasaki (Lot 41) sold for £7,200; and a 1975 Triumph Trident T160 (Lot 20) realised the next highest sale price at £7,000 (the bike, we hear, was a later addition to the catalogue). All these prices, incidentally, are subject to a 13.3% commission, inc VAT.
Overall, a total of 87 lots were actually listed (note the word "actually"). Of those, 27 bikes failed to sell. So the conversion rate (by our dodgy maths) was 69%. However, keep in mind that although at first glance it appears that there were 95 motorcycles on the roster, three of those bikes were withdrawn and five lots are listed as blank. Hence 87.
Confusing? We think so. Charterhouse could help by cleaning up their listing a little. That said, auctions are intrinsically subject to various changes in the run-up to the actual event. So you have to carefully watch the numbers and check the detail.
However, a 69% conversion rate isn't anything to get excited about, especially when the general sale prices are fairly uneventful.
The next Charterhouse motorcycle auction will be the Classic & Vintage Motorcycles Sale (in conjunction with the Vintage Nostalgia Festival), 1st June 2019. That will be at Stockton Park, Stockton, Wiltshire BA12 0SQ.
More on that later in the year.
Also see:
Charterhouse Auctions February sale
Charterhouse Auctions reminder
www.charterhouse-auction.com
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You're all invited to the 60th anniversary gathering
Bring a hymn book
ATTENTION: THIS IS NOT A DRILL! REPEAT: THIS IS NOT A DRILL!
We thought it was at first. But apparently it's for real. The story is that on Saturday 4th May 2019 there will be two organised ride-outs to commemorate 60 years of the 59 Club.
Founded on 2nd April 1959, the original club was located at Hackney Wick, East London. Church-based and sanctioned from on-high (no, not quite that high), this legendary youth club is perhaps most closely associated with the late Father William "Bill" Shergold, a biking priest who evidently wanted to do Godly things for the young rocker tearaways and motorised hooligans of the day.
The church influence at the club was always pretty low key, and the bikers respected the facilities that were offered—which consisted of a meeting hall, a jukebox, table tennis, a billiard table, and suchlike. And naturally there were always a few biking magazines and brochures scattered around.
In 1964 the club moved to Paddington, and in the 90s it shifted back to Hackney, and later to Plaistow, also in the East End of London.
Father Bill was president of the club until he died in 2009 aged 89. Another prominent figure in the 59 Club's story is Father Graham Hullett, also a biking priest who, metaphorically speaking (and perhaps otherwise), kept the wheels greased during the late 1960s and later lent his support as and when he was able. Hullett died in 2012 aged 80.
And there are many other people who contributed time, energy, resources and money to the world's most famous rocker's club. Which brings us back to the present day and to the proposed ride-outs that will culminate at St Paul's Cathedral, Central London.
One group will leave the Ace Cafe (North London, NW10 7UD) at 2pm. The other will leave the current home of the 59 Club in Hanwell (All Saints Church, West London, TW13 5EE) at 1.30pm. At both locations, riders are advised to arrive an hour before the bikes depart.
It's fairly obvious why St Paul's Cathedral is the finishing point for this event. But worryingly, we also understand that there will be a 5pm church service and a blessing (THIS IS NOT A DRILL! remember?). So if you want to sit through an hour of Bible-bashing and soul searching, you're advised to take a pew by 4.45pm at the latest.
Moreover, you're also advised that there will be a bag search. So "No sharps, tools or similar [are] permitted inside the cathedral." That's official. And you're asked not to park on the pavement outside (or "sidewalk" for the benefit of our American Sumpsters).
And if that doesn't sound like a naff conclusion to what might be an otherwise fairly agreeable ride-out, we don't know what is. At the very least, 60 years of the 59 Club ought to culminate by cornering a few mods in an alleyway and kicking their teeth in, and then setting fire to their Lambrettas and Vespas. But we'd settle for a good punch up on Chelsea Bridge with the coppers and anyone else who happens to be around.
However, this is 2019. The rocker culture has long since been brought squarely into the mainstream and neutered by age, the usual health issues and the demands of responsible citizenship.
As much as we respect the 59 Club, and as much as we respect the views of other bikers who'll no doubt enjoy this event, we think we'll sit this one out. The soft saddle is fine, you understand. It's the hard pew and sixty minutes of religion that kills it for us.
But then, we always were a bunch of heathens round here.
www.the59club.co.uk
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Handy little forecourt tyre inflation adapter
£12.50 plus VAT
We'll make this quick because there's not much to it. Nippy Normans has sent details of a little tool that will no doubt suit some (or many) of you Sumpsters who routinely have problems inflating your tyres using garage forecourt airlines.
You know how it is. You can't quite get the inflexible air nozzle thingy on the valve because the brake disc, caliper, silencer, pannier, significant-other is in the way. But with this little adapter you can effectively shift the valve to where you can get at it.
The asking price is £12.50 including VAT, and it's "neat and compact, can be stashed under the bike’s seat or in a pocket or in the toolkit, and comes with a loop for attaching to a key ring, so it’s ready whenever you need it."
Which is probably true—but if you carried around all the little gadgets and gizmos dreamed up by the bike dealers and spares suppliers, you'd need a bleedin' car & trailer to carry it all.
Still, if you need this, you need it, and Nippy Normans will sort you out. We haven't tried it, but we can't see why it wouldn't work.
It's your dime, etc.
www.nippynormans.com
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Picked up something very similar for £3 at last year's Stafford show, great little tool. —Ron Athersmith
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Gatwick Airport robot car parking trials planned. No word on motorcycles
US & Canadian H-D dealers at last set to enter Battle of the Kings comp
Limited Bullit 125s. Gulf Hero Scrambler (£2.5K) & Spirit cafe racer (£2.4k)
Swindon Powertrain to offer 100 classic electric Mini conversions: £79,000
BMF relaunches Northern Ireland Biker Safety Cards. admin@bmf.co.uk
Check out: Janus Motorcycles, Indiana, USA. Modern classics from $6,995
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Four new examples of automotive printed "tin" from Sump
£14.99 each plus P&P
At Sump, we love classic bikes—and, come to that, pretty much all bikes. But we also get our kicks from many other kinds of locomotion including bicycles, tractors, trucks, buses, trams, classic cars and steam & diesel trains. As far as we're concerned, if it rolls, it rocks. And if it flies, we're up in the clouds with it.
So it was perhaps inevitable that sooner or later we'd address our lateral interests in some appropriately commercial manner thereby helping keep afloat the good ship Sump (and all who sail in her). And all that brings us neatly to these new classic car signs.
We've been working on these for a few months, and we're just about to take delivery of our first batch. There won't be very many of each. For now, we're still debating whether or not this will be a limited run, or open ended production (you have to rationalise purchasing costs and stock room space, etc). So if you're also into classic cars (and we know that plenty of you Sumpsters are), you'd better order one sooner rather than later.
We're still sorting out payment buttons and stuff, so for the time being you can express your interest via email and simply ask us to reserve one for you. You won't be expected to pay until your sign is in stock. Just hit the link below and we'll confirm that we've got your order and do what has to be done.
The price for each is £14.99 plus P&P. They're printed direct-to-metal. They're reassuringly heavyweight steel. And the mounting holes make 'em ready to hang on whatever dull and dismal space you need to fill. If you keep them out of direct sunlight, they should last for years or even decades. Just remember to let them age a little. They look better when the elements have been having a nibble.
Meanwhile (largely for the benefit of the roving search engines), we need to actually mention the names of the four signs in production:
Ford Consul Capri
Ford Escort Mexico
Triumph Spitfire
MGA
As you'll see, these classic cars are all prime examples of British engineering—and we certainly wouldn't throw any of them out of our garage if we had any space left what with the bikes, the kit cars, the benches and the sundry junk.
And no, we're not planning to change Sump from a motorcycle magazine to a car magazine. But if you're a regular visitor, you'll know that our interests are wide and varied, and often a little offbeat.
Finally, we design our signs largely because we hang 'em on our own walls with our motorcycle signs, and we're happy to decorate the inside of Fortress Sump with these latest examples of classic lowbrow art.
Join us, why don't you?
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UPDATE: These classic car signs are now available from stock
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We're talking about the custom bike building National Championships
15th- 16th June 2019 is the date to watch
The Devitt KICKBACK Custom Show is scheduled for 15th - 16th June 2019 at the Preston Bike Festival (GL52 9RD), and that's where the 2019 National Championship (for custom bike building) will be staged.
To that end, the KICKBACK organisers are looking for sponsors to help stump up the costs of the trophies. Sounds a little mercenary putting it like that, but that's what it boils down to. Hard cash.
There will be five classes plus a Best-in-Show award. Sponsors, aside from getting their name mentioned on publicity material and on social media platforms, will also see their corporate branding engraved on the trophies; specifically on the 1st, 2nd & 3rd prizes.
Additionally, sponsors will be invited to "jump up on stage" and hand over the awards in person. Or persons.
Interested? Talk to organiser lorne@rwrw.co.uk and see exactly what the pitch is.
'kay?
www.thecustomshow.com
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Motorcycle News has lost nearly 16,000 weekly sales since 2015
Bike Magazine bucks the trend with very modest growth
Latest figures from the Audit Bureau of Circulation (ABC) show that Bauer motorcycling print titles, with one exception, are further sliding into oblivion. That exception is Bike Magazine which showed a modest monthly rise in sales.
Firstly, the hard numbers:
January to December 2018 audited Bauer sales:
Motorcycle News (MCN): 56,839
Classic Bike: 30,646
Bike: 35,098
Ride: 29,434
Practical Sportsbikes (inc Performance Bikes): 15,678
We haven't been watching these sales too closely over the past year or two. But we do have 2015 figures for comparison:
January to December 2015 audited Bauer sales:
Motorcycle News (MCN): 72,607
Classic Bike: 37,135
Bike: 34,387
Ride: 32,866
Performance Bikes: 15,674
By our reckoning, MCN has over the past three years lost 15,768 weekly sales. Classic Bike has lost monthly sales of 6,489 copies. Bike Magazine has gained a negligible 711 more copies per month. Ride Magazine has lost 3,432 copies per month. Practical Sportsbikes (which now incorporates the effectively defunct Performance Bikes) is harder to analyse because we have no earlier figures for this publication.
Note that these are all average sales, and note too that these numbers don't include digital sales which represent a relatively small percentage of the print numbers (i.e. a few thousand or so per magazine).
As ever, there are no figures for Mortons Media motorcycle magazine sales. That's because the company still refuses to have its sales audited. So you take a guess at whatever number you like and double it or halve it or something. But it's almost certain that Morton sales aren't performing much better, if at all. Historically, Bauer has generally outsold rival Morton titles.
So what's behind the decline? Well, the biggest reason is simply that the UK economy, like most western economies, is still struggling at the moment. But close on the heels of that are the online publications such as Sump that are mopping up tens of thousands—if not hundreds of thousand—of readers. Meanwhile, the online motorcycle club websites, along with Facebook, Twitter, etc are also having a large impact.
We're probably not looking at a complete collapse of motorcycle magazine print sales; not in the near future, anyway. But Performance Bikes and Superbike are dead (although Superbike still has an online presence), and we expect to see one or two more motorcycle magazines close or merge in the coming year or so as the publishers adjust their perspectives and rationalise their production and associated costs.
It's not just the loss of revenue from magazine and newspaper sales, note. It's also the reduced revenue from advertising that's hitting the "traditional" publishers. To stay afloat, most of the print magazines have reduced their crew to little more than the captain and a bloke below decks stoking the boiler. The hope now is that post-Brexit (if it ever happens), the economy might get some kind of spending boost and even stage a recovery.
But don't hold your breath.
UPDATE: We now have the 2017 ABC figures. The numbers show that all Bauer motorcycle titles are down in 2018 by varying percentages.
2017/2018 Bauer motorcycle titles average weekly/monthly sales
MCN: 60,719 (down 8.8% to 56,839 weekly copies)
Bike: 37,459 (down 6.3% to 35,098 monthly copies)
Classic Bike: 33,598 (down 8.8% to 30,646 monthly copies)
Ride: 32,353 (down 9% to 29,434 monthly copies)
Practical Sportsbikes: 18,035 (down 13.1% to 15,678 monthly copies)
See: Sump Magazine February 2016 for more on UK bike magazine sales
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Hiya Sump guys,I have recently cancelled my subs for Classic Bike mag, I got fed up with the top heavy content on past road racers and their machines. What I expect for a magazine entitled Classic Bike are articles on running, riding and restoring said classic machines. Several articles on vintage road racing bikes would appear in a single copy (of CB), not the stuff I’m interested at all. Maybe other readers had similar gripes; who knows ? I enjoy Sump and now ride a 2002 Sportster with an S&S 1200 kit fitted thanks to the advice in Sump. Just in case it's of any interest, I’ll be 74 years old in October this year.—Dave Cheeseman, AKA Chedd.
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Down under camera very obscura comes under fire
Moralists should sit this one out; the matter has been decided
It never ceases to amaze us these days how people steadfastly refuse to take any responsibility for their actions and lives—and it never ceases to amaze us how the friends and relatives of anyone who's bought the farm or has otherwise come to grief through personal foolishness, recklessness or just bad luck immediately look for someone else to blame.
Anyone else. For instance:
"My son took an ecstasy pill and died. I blame the bastard who sold it to him."
"My 16 year old daughter went climbing in the Himalayas and fell to her death. I blame the tour guide who took her up the mountain in a snowstorm."
"My son died fighting in Afghanistan. He should have had more protection."
Etc.
The modern blame culture seems to know no limits. But the fact is, people who die after taking recreational drugs are generally perfectly aware of the implied terms and conditions, and by swallowing the pill or smoking the spliff they've tacitly agreed to those terms. People who go mountain climbing under any conditions know pretty much all there is to know about gravity, and most of what there is to know about snow. Meanwhile, people who volunteer to fight in far flung wars are perfectly aware that the ammunition generally flies in both directions.
That's not to say that sympathy is wasted on such victims. Most deaths are tragedies—in the true, Shakespearean sense of the word (meaning that such victims have in some way shaped their cruel ends).
Nevertheless, when you refine all the arguments and distil the propaganda and stick what's left of the atomic truth under the scrutiny of the social and philosophical microscopes, people make millions of decisions in their lives, and sooner or later one or more of those decisions will put them on a collision path with fate. After that it's all down to providence.
▲ Yes, there's a cop somewhere in that bush, or so we've been advised. But while he's deep in the dirt, he's also said to be on morally very shaky ground.
So we were amused/interested to find the following commentary on the Motorbike Writer website. This is an Australian 'site that appears to do a pretty good job of monitoring local biking news and interests, albeit with a fair amount of idle speculation and off-the-cuff guesswork.
The story involves an Australian traffic cop "caught" hiding in the bushes with a radar gun and looking to bolster the civic coffers with a few extra fines—the implication being that the cop ought to be out there on the road preventing motoring offences and not simply hiding behind a gum tree and capitalising on the excesses of the speedsters (never mind the lateral argument that riders/motorists might well be far more cautious in their speeding habit when in an area known to be rife with hidden radar guns than on a familiar stretch of highway where all the cameras are well and truly plotted by Google and chums, and where all the cops can be seen a mile off. And never mind the fact that local authorities need to raise revenue somehow, either through direct or indirect taxation).
Anyway, Motorbike Writer poses the question:
We ask: "How would the officer in the bushes feel if he clocked a speeding rider on his hand-held TruCAM laser digital camera and the rider crashed and died further down the road?"
"And how would the rider’s widow feel when she received the offence notice in the post a few days later knowing a police officer could have pulled over her speeding husband and saved his life?"
Need we say more?
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John Haynes, founder of the Haynes Publishing empire has died aged 80
Gloucester Police riders to be equipped with Alpinestars/BKS airbag suits
Billy Joel orders a £38,000 limited production Nmoto Nostalgia BMW
DVLA launches UK vehicle anti-tax evasion drive. No mention of bikes
"Be open minded about the sound of our electric bikes - Harley-Davidson."
New Oil in the Blood motorcycle culture documentary. No UK dates yet
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TV presenter is filming again "later this year"
Can you fill a spot in Henry's life?
If you haven't yet had your 15 minutes of fame on TV, TV presenter Henry Cole could be riding to the rescue. Most of us know him from The Motorbike Show and Shed and Buried. Well, he'll be filming again later this year, and he's looking for interesting sheds to feature. And "shed" also means lofts, barns, cellars, garages, nuclear bomb shelters, and anything else where tools, motorcycles, old petrol pumps, enamelled railway signs or whatever have been squirreled away.
No special acting skills are required. Just let Henry have a look at what you've got, smile, dodder around looking senile (which many of us do these days) and you've got the job—subject to the aforementioned interesting shed criteria.
"I'm interested in lots of different types of stuff - tiny trinkets and big bits too!" says Henry. "It's not the size of the shed, it's the way you fill it!"
Tautology notwithstanding, that's the whole pitch right there. So who's first in line?
www.henrycole.tv
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14th - 17th February 2019
London's Excel is the venue
Remember the 1969 movie The Italian Job? Specifically the scene where the Italian gangsters, resenting the English moving in on their territory, use a bulldozer to wreck a couple of E-Type Jags and then shunt an Aston Martin drophead over a precipice?
Well that Aston thing never actually happened, we're advised. The car that did the air dance was in fact a Lancia Flaminia. The Aston Martin was quietly switched, and will be on display at the London Classic Car Show which will take place on 14th - 17th February 2019 at London's Excel. That's the story, anyway—and why should anyone make this up just because there's an awful lot of money at stake?
The reason for displaying that Aston Martin is because 2019 is the 50th anniversary of the robbery caper movie The Italian Job starting Michael Caine, Noël Coward, and Raf Vallone.
Yes, in 2003 a very poor remake starring Mark Wahlberg, Donald Sutherland and Edward Norton hit the big screens. But as everyone knows, the original 1969 version is the only one to watch. Would we lie?
To mark the occasion, a number of appropriate vehicles from the film will be on display at Excel. We're told that all are original except the famous Minis which went west, east, north or south yonks ago. Instead, visitors will be treated to an eyeful of Mini recreations which, for us, doesn't really diminish anything. A classic Mini is, after all, a classic Mini, and in these days of rampant fakery, suspending a little more disbelief is no great strain on the brain.
Here are the vehicles you can gawp at if you run along to Excel:
Lamborghini Miura
Aston Martin DB4 Convertible
Jaguar E-Type Coupe
Jaguar E-Type Roadster
Bedford Val Coach
OM Furgonato Sicurezza ‘Bullion’ Van
Plus various red, white and blue Mini Coopers
There's no word on whether or not (Sir) Michael Caine will put in an appearance, but you never know.
Meanwhile, there's also a 100 Years of Citroën celebration (actually it's technically only 99 years)—and Citroën, with its track record of technical innovation, industrial daring and design imagination, can make a very convincing argument for being the greatest motor company of them all.
The firm, founded by André-Gustave Citroën in March 1919, has produced over 300 models. Its progress has been marked by vehicles such as the Traction Avant 11CV introduced in 1934; the world's first mass-produced front-wheel drive car—which also features unitary body construction and independent suspension all round. Around 760,000 examples of all types were built until the model was discontinued in 1957.
Not to be outdone, the Deux Cheveaux—or 2CV—arrived in 1948. This wonderful piece of rolling Meccano kept France on the move post-WW2. Moreover, the car achieved more than the French Revolution ever did when it came to communizing the nation. Peasants loved 'em. So did the upper classes, the fashionistas, the intellectuals and pretty much everyone else. Over 8 million of the once ubiquitous 2CVs were built, and although you don't see too many on the roads anymore (have you noticed?), you know that they're all out there lurking in sheds and garages patiently awaiting an appropriate Sunday afternoon.
Moving on, the Citroën DS arrived in 1955, and this was an astonishing piece of motoring art and a magnificently bold and original expression of Gallic style and extravagance. Hydraulic suspension. Directional headlights. Ride height adjustment (for fording rivers, changing tyres, crossing the odd North African desert, etc). Front wheel drive. Power steering. Semi-automatic transmission. Inboard front brakes. A fibreglass roof (to lower the centre of gravity). And many other innovations. If you've ever driven or just rode in one of these elegant cars, you'll know exactly how smooth and refined they are.
So much for the history lesson. The point is, you can see all this and more at Excel. And if that ain't enough to wet your whistles, Edd China ex-Wheeler Dealer TV series man will be in attendance chin-wagging about some of the legendary aero-engined racers of yesteryear such as "Babs" (aka Chitty 4, aka The Higham Special), the 27-litre V12 Thomas Special as driven by racer John Parry-Thomas which in 1926 set a Land Speed record of 171.09mph.
As you might recall, Parry-Thomas was killed whilst driving that car, following which the two ton monster was ceremoniously buried on the world famous beach at Pendine, Wales, later to be unearthed (or unsanded) and "restored" (and we use that term advisedly).
Naturally, there will be plenty of other classic cars, and possibly one or two classic bikes on display. And although Excel doesn't have ye olde worlde vibe of Olympia or Earl's Court, it's reasonably accessible by road and public transport—and by air if you can afford it. But keep in mind that car parking fees are very expensive. So if you can parachute in or something, make the effort.
Might be worth it.
www.thelondonclassiccarshow.co.uk
See also: Douglas Slocombe (The Italian Job film director) obituary
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Ex-Transport Minister is embroiled in another row
The usual mob has daggers drawn
Seems that our second favourite ex-Roads Minister* is in the doghouse again, this time over the very topical and explosive issue of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM).
We reported last June (2018) on how Christopher Chope, MP for Bournemouth, had blocked an "upskirting" bill proposed by a fellow member of Parliament. Well now he's blocked the passage of an FGM bill simply by crying "Object!" at the appropriate moment. That, after all, is all it takes to remove a private members bill from the parliamentary list.
Consequently, the daggers are out, and the feminist hoi-polloi (et al) is spitting blood (no pun intended) whilst hoping to get Chopey deselected, for starters, and then probably killed and eaten.
More worryingly, much of the British press—and notably the still-not-fit-for-purpose BBC—has been happy to spill half the beans of this tale whilst frequently (and irresponsibly) overlooking the underlying reason for Chope's objection. But we'll be happy to put that straight right now.
Christopher Chope, who's no friend of ours, isn't against outlawing FGM per se. Far from it. That, at least, is his claim. But he is (once again) against blithely waving through a private member's bill without due parliamentary scrutiny. The bill in question was tabled by Lord Berkeley, and it was sponsored by Tory MP Zac Goldsmith (see image below: Berkeley left, Goldsmith right). The aim of the bill was to drive through a law which, forthwith, would amend the Children's Act. That amendment would allow UK judges to issue a protection order if and when social work or medical professionals suspect that a child is likely to become another FGM victim.
Sounds reasonable in principle. But since when was it ever wise in this country, or any other country, to safely give powers to the social workers, doctors or related professionals without fully exploring the implications? Fact is, many—if not most—of these people are simply not to be trusted and need to be kept on a very short leash. That's a hard, unforgiving and unpopular truth, and we recognise that many other such professionals are nothing less than modern day saints.
However, the list of screw ups attributable to lesser practitioners of these occupations (along with many professionals from pretty much all walks of life) is huge and growing.
Need convincing? Okay. Check Google. Key-in SOCIAL WORKER and ERROR, or try MEDICAL and ERROR and you'll be rewarded with a worrying number of old and recent cases where intervention was either wholly mistimed, misjudged, misinformed or otherwise mismanaged. And in more than one instance, such intervention has proved murderous.
Social workers and medical staff are under huge pressure to find the right balance between action and non action. Or, if you prefer, intervention and non-intervention. They're routinely damned when they do, and damned when they don't. Nevertheless, arming these professionals with new powers that have been waved through on the nod in the white heat of popular protest and understandable public concern is simply winding up the elastic on yet another screw-up. Consequently, Chris Chope is blocking the bill and hoping that the matter will receive fresh attention with thorough scrutiny in both Houses of Parliament.
But wait, shouldn't we in the meantime have an interim law that protects young girls from what is essentially religious assault? Well that explicit option wasn't on the agenda. And besides, if we take that path, we might as well throw a noose over any number of other concerns, both relating to religious matters and to secular issues, and then knee-jerk 'em for all we're worth.
The bottom line (still no pun intended—not least because FGM simply isn't funny) is that all laws are riddled with unintended consequences. In this case, it's the risk of having children summarily snatched from their parents under the flimsiest suspicion and held for weeks, months or conceivably years in protective custody whilst the professionals attempt to justify their doubts, explore their actions and conclusions, and formulate whatever long term solution is morally and practically expedient.
And there are huge implications here for religious groups, not to mention the inevitable social, financial and (not least) emotional traumas faced by innocent parents deprived of their offspring, and otherwise perfectly safe and secure children deprived of their mums and dads.
Fact is, the FGM question should have been properly addressed decades ago. But just because we missed the starting gun, that doesn't mean we should now frame instant new laws without due parliamentary process. Remember this point, if you will, the next time this issue comes up for discussion, especially if it's the Beeb talking about it.
Finally, this kind of "reckless" Chopean objection isn't simply a bloody-minded attempt to frustrate a new protective law. Instead, it's a necessary fuse to remind us that we need to think very carefully before we act.
What comes around goes around, etc.
* Peter Bottomley MP takes the top spot
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Star of Saturday Night, and Sunday Morning is dead
He was 82 and leaves behind an excellent catalogue of work
One of Britain's greatest actors? He was certainly one of the most versatile, and definitely one of our favourites. Albert Finney, who has died aged 82, was equally adept in Shakespearean roles as he was in kitchen sink realism, crime yarns, political dramas, spy movies, comedy flicks, bawdy romances, rapturous musicals and the odd whodunnit.
He will perhaps be best remembered for Saturday Night, and Sunday Morning (1960), the archetypal angry/rebellious-young-man classic B&W BritFlick also starring Shirley Anne Field, Rachel Roberts, Norman Rossington and Bryan Pringle. Based closely on the Alan Sillitoe novel of the same name, this one hour and twenty-nine minute slice of celluloid is a totally convincing and highly entertaining exploration of the social mores and attitudes prevalent in 1960s working class Britain.
Finney plays Arthur Seaton, a jaded, cynical but fun-loving lathe operative working a tedious nine to five in a Nottingham bicycle factory. Young, virile, womanising, boozy and subversive, the film explores Seaton's personal conflicts with the wider establishment, his employers, his friends and family members—and the people he collides with as he charts a path towards inevitable conformity.
▲ Albert Finney in Saturday Night, and Sunday Morning. Cue a lot of boozing, a lot of loving, a lot of working, and a lot of frustration and anger. Alan Sillitoe (1928 - 2010) wrote both the (excellent) novel and the screenplay. He based the tale around the city he knew, which was Nottingham, home of Britain's bicycle industry. Finney's anti-hero (Arthur Seaton) set the template for many others to follow.
"Don't let the bastards grind you down," is his mantra along with the equally classic line: "What I'm out for is a good time. All the rest is propaganda." Over four decades later, the Arctic Monkeys borrowed yet another quote from this movie and used it as the title of the band's 2006 music album; Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not.
It was Finney's second movie (after The Entertainer, also 1960) for which he received three film awards and launched a career that was to span five decades.
Other noteworthy movies include:
Tom Jones, 1963
Charlie Bubbles, 1968
Scrooge, 1970
Gumshoe, 1971
Murder on the Orient Express, 1974
Loophole, 1981
Annie, 1982
The Dresser, 1983
The Browning Version, 1984
Miller's Crossing, 1990
Erin Brockovich, 2000
Big Fish, 2003
Before the Devil Knows You're Dead, 2007
His final movie roles were in The Bourne Legacy and Skyfall, both 2012.
Albert Finney was born in Salford, Lancashire. His father was a bookmaker, his mother a housewife. After attending local primary and grammar schools, Finney joined the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts (RADA) from which he graduated in 1956. Soon he became a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC), and thus began numerous stage appearances that took him to London, Manchester, Nottingham, Paris and New York.
He always brought something fresh and original to his performances, sometimes by daring underplay (Eddie Ginley in Gumshoe and Andrew Crocker-Harris in The Browning Version), and sometimes by gross and engaging exaggeration (Hercule Poirot in Murder on the Orient Express and Leo O'Bannon in Miller's Crossing).
Consequently, he was a very difficult actor to pin down, stylewise and genrewise. He turned down numerous movies (including the starring role in David Lean's Lawrence of Arabia, 1962), and throughout his career resisted typecasting. That said, for a long time he found it hard to shake off his lead performance as Agatha Christie's Belgian sleuth, Hercule Poirot.
▲ Albert Finney in Miller's Crossing, the hard-boiled, gun-toting, stylishly overblown homage to US gangster flicks as enjoyed by the Coen Brothers. Here, Finney's character Leo O'Bannon shows that he's "still an artist with a Thompson." Forget The Godfather. This is a superior movie.
Albert Finney also shone in memorable theatre plays such as John Osborne's 1961 production of Luther, and A Day in the Death of Joe Egg (1967). Between 2001 and 2003 he enjoyed a popular but short-lived stint in the British TV series Uncle Silas based on the H E Bates novel of the same name. Meanwhile, music fans enjoyed watching his performance as The Judge in Roger Waters' The Wall – Live in Berlin concert staged in 1990 to mark the fall of the Iron Curtain.
▲ Finney and the late Billie Whitelaw in Gumshoe (1970). He's a bingo caller by night, and a detective by day (and sometimes night). Liverpool is the town. Murder is just one of the crimes. Gumshoe is a drama with comic overtones. So stand aside Sam Spade, Eddie Ginley is on the case...
▲ If you have an aversion to thickly greased hair and waxed moustachios, avoid Murder on the Orient Express. Albert Finney gave Agatha Christie's fictional sleuth a good airing in this 70s whodunnit, but it's not our favourite Finney flick. Nevertheless, it clues us in nicely to the width and depth of the man's acting ability.
▲ Finney as Churchill. He received four awards and two nominations for his portrayal of the cigar-chugging prime minister who, for many, was the greatest Brit of all time.
Further evidence of his versatility is marked in movies such as A Man of No Importance (1994) in which he played Alfred Byrne, a gay bus driver; and The Gathering Storm (2002) in which he played Winston Churchill. And although he was never short of film industry accolades, plaudits and awards for his stage and screen performances, he pointedly refused a CBE in 1980 and in 2000 also turned down a knighthood believing that both honours did little but perpetuate the social snobbery of the British establishment.
Albert Finney married three times and fathered one son. The last few years of his life were marked by ill health, as a result of which he died on 7th February 2019. And death, of course, changes perspectives, which means that the next time we see Albert Finney on the screen, the context would have altered irrevocably, but the quality of his work will no doubt be undiminished, if not enhanced.
He was not, perhaps, a "great" actor in the Laurence Olivier, John Giegud, Charles Laughton, Peter O'Toole or Ralph Richardson style of greatness. But as an everyman actor in the mould of John Mills, Michael Caine, Alec Guinness and Richard Attenborough, Albert Finney was one of the best and we're a long way from being tired of watching him.
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Everyone is welcome to this club meeting in Pluvigner, Brittany
Mark your calendars for 22nd & 23rd June 2019
There was a time when Motobécane was the largest motorcycle manufacturer in France. Founded in 1923, this imaginative and ambitious Gallic firm produced a varied range of machines from 750cc heavyweight inline-four shaft drives, to lightweight two-strokes, to everyday bicycles—and even a pedal car for basic transportation during a period of very limited petrol supply.
The company's most famous product, however, is the humble and utilitarian Mobylette moped of which over 14 million were manufactured; a design that was produced under licence from England to India. But Motobécane also campaigned its performance products on the race tracks, and in 1939 the company won the Bol d'Or 24 hour endurance race.
▲ 1938 Motobécane 100cc B1V2 military motorcycle. Originally a civilian mount, the French army used these until the fall of France (June 1940). Then the Germans put these bikes to work on airfields mostly as runabout. Top speed 31mph. Sturdily built. Unpretentious. Bonhams sold this example in 2010 for £1,610.
▲ Motobécane flirted with 500cc and 750cc inline, four-stroke, shaft drive sidevalves. It's not clear exactly which model this is, but we think it's a prototype model built around 1930. If you know better, please tell us.
Stylish, sophisticated and well made, much of the Motobécane story reads like the rise and fall of the British motorcycle industry. Cheaper cars slowly ate into the sales and profits of the French motorcycle trade, and by the 1960s the Japanese had arrived on mainland Europe with new thinking and fresh energy.
In 1981 Yamaha bought the company, refinanced the business and relaunched it as MBK which currently manufactures a range of motorscooters. The Motobécane name, however, is still in use by various firms around the world thereby helping dilute the heritage in much the same way as Matchless or Belstaff fashion clothing.
Currently, the Motobécane Club de France boasts around 1,000 members. To that end, an appropriate gathering (the 24th) is being organised by Autos, Vintage Motorcycles - Atlantic Club (AMECA). The venue is the Espace Saint Michel in the commune of Pluvigner, Brittany which is in the Morbihan department. The date is 22nd & 23rd June 2019.
You don't need to own or ride a Motobécane motorcycle, scooter or moped. You simply need to turn up and enjoy the festivities. The event notification that we received appears to have lost something in translation, so we suggest that you contact the organiser to clarify dates and other details. But it's a given that you'll find food, drinks, entertainment and probably some trade activity. We note also that 2019 is the 70th anniversary of the Mobylette.
Meanwhile, if you need an excuse to go motorcycling around France, which is generally pretty cool biking country at almost any time of the year, here's a suitable opportunity.
www.motobecane-club-de-france.fr/site
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Bob Trigg (Norton Isolastic engine mount co-designer) has died aged 81
Driverless cars "will permanently cruise" to avoid parking fees, warning
British heritage bikes feature. BBC Radio You & Yours programme, 8/2/19
Kawasaki promises "Dazzling New Range" 2019 London Motorcycle Show
Police: UK breath tests down 42% past 6 years. Test kit shortages cited
"A Bonneville Adventure" talk. David Harper. Saltire MCs. 2/3/19. 7.30pm
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100 bikes are listed in the imminent sale
Rescheduled event looks finally set to happen (see text)
Charterhouse Auctions has sent us a reminder of the firm's next sale which will happen this Sunday (10th February 2019, 3 days hence), so we're duly passing on the message. And note that this sale was originally listed for 3rd February 2019 in conjunction with the 39th Carole Nash Bristol Show. But both events were cancelled due to bad weather (snow). Consequently, the auction has been rescheduled for 10th February 2019. The 39th Carole Nash Bristol Show will now be held on 23rd - 24th February 2019.
We mentioned the Charterhouse sale last month, particularly with reference to a pair of Tritons that caught our fancy. Well, there's some other stuff there that we wouldn't chuck out of the garage including a 1970 650cc Triumph TR6 Trophy (Lot 86). The bike comes complete with a very stylish lime green Avon fairing, lime green tank and 'guards, and 60,000-odd miles on the clock (see image immediately above).
We like this Trumpet firstly because it's what bike dealers would describe as an "honest" machine. Meaning plenty of miles, and signs of wear and use—but apparently well maintained with a very practical fairing to give this motorcycle relaxed all-weather touring credentials.
The original Lucas headlamp is included in the sale should the next buyer want to convert the bike back to standard. But why would you buy this machine only to change it? We wouldn't. The estimate is £7,000 - £8,000 which might be just a little strong in the current volatile market. But it's probably not far off the mark.
Next up is Lot 41; a 1976 Z900 Kawasaki (image immediately above). So okay, it's not the original classic Z1 launched in 1972. Instead, it's a slightly later follow-up model—and as a rider's bike (as opposed to a collector's/investor's bike) we prefer it.
Still sporting a tough and durable 903cc, DOHC, transverse air-cooled four cylinder engine, the Z900 came with a few revisions over its predecessor including 26mm carburettors (compared to 28mm), various engine refinements and twin front discs. It's still good for 130mph at the top end, and 42 years after it was launched ("launch" being the appropriate word) it's still an impressive mid-range projectile.
This example has covered just 29,000 miles and is reported to have been well looked after by its owner (there's a history file included in the sale). The estimate is £6,000 - £7,000. Japanese classics still haven't kicked-off the way we'd once expected them too. But sooner or later the prices will no doubt start a high altitude climb. Meanwhile, we're not sure that this particular motorcycle is a sure-fire investment project. Not in the short to medium term, anyway. However, we prefer to see 'em on the street wearing out the tarmac. And this Zed will do that very satisfactorily.
Consider.
Finally, we wanted to mention this 1991 Triton (Lot 13) that caught our attention. The engine is a 1971 650cc T120R engine rebuilt "to race specifications". The frame is a Norton Slimline. The front fork is a Norton Roadholder unit. Wheels are Borrani. The exhaust is a traditional sweptback megaphone set-up. And you can figure out the other major parts. But it's that powder blue paint that does it for us.
Tritons, of course, are simply timeless. Every new biking generation comes along and immediately "gets" the concept and adopts these classic rocker mounts, and even if this example isn't the most authentic, it's obviously got heart and spirit and we'd consider putting in a bid if we knew how to give it the high speed thrashing that it deserves.
Charterhouse reckons it will sell at between £7,500 - £8,500, and we'll be watching to see how it fares. The venue for the auction is Royal Bath & West Showground, BA4 6QN. Viewing is on Saturday 9th February 2019. Around 100 bikes are promised, and there will be around 50 cars.
Time is rapidly running out, so check Charterhouse's listings sooner rather than later.
For details of other bikes that we like, also check: Charterhouse Sale, Feb 2019
www.charterhouse-auction.com
UPDATE
Lot 86: 1970 650cc Triumph TR6 Trophy, no sale
Lot 41: 1976 Z900 Kawasaki, sold for £7,200
Lot 13: 1991 Triton, no sale
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H&H Auctions is offering this ISDT bike for sale at the NMM
The estimate is £10,000 - £15,000
In a thousand years there will be folk songs and campfire tales about how Bud Ekins stole from the rich and gave to the poor, and how together with Steve McQueen he faced down the Clanton Brothers at the OK Corral.
That's how legends work. A few grains of truth, a little embellishment, a few hundred re-tellings, a little exaggeration and a smidgen of literary licence, and there you have it. History neatly re-spun and adjusted to cater for popular appetites.
We mention this minor social phenomenon because the Bud Ekins legend has already got a fair pair of legs on it—or should that be a fair pair of wheels? And we see that one of his bikes is coming up for auction on 2nd March 2019 courtesy of H&H.
But don't misunderstand us. We're not sneering at Bud Ekins. Far from it. We're simply observing the fact that someone who lived his life in a relatively ordinary and fairly down-to-earth way has since been elevated to the status of nothing less than a minor motorcycle God walking in Steve McQueen's shadow and is now a familiar name on the lips of classic bikers pretty much everywhere.
As most of you will recall, it was Ekins who made the now world-famous prison camp fence jump in The Great Escape; the leap into the cinematic history book that McQueen wanted to handle in his own style—except that the movie company (for obvious reasons) refused permission. That said, there's a counter-story (or a spin-off from the legend) that McQueen persuaded film director John Sturges to hire Ekins as a stunt rider in the film for which Ekins was paid $100 per day.
Regardless, there was a lot more to Ekins than that. He was a long time all-round biker, racer, bike builder, stuntman and—more pertinently to this news story—a member of the 1967 USA ISDT (International Six Days Trials) Team. During that event at Zakopane, Poland, Ekins rode his 1967 Husqvarna MX360 Viking as part of Team America. And damned if the team (pictured immediately above) didn't ride away with a gold medal.
But wait. You have to look closer at what that really means. The top prize (The International Trophy) actually went to East Germany. The Trophy is awarded to national teams riding nationally-built motorcycles such as Germans riding German-built bikes.
The second prize (the Silver Vase) went to Czechoslovakia. This is awarded to national teams riding whatever make of bike they favour, regardless of where the bike was built.
Gold, silver and bronze prizes are subsequently awarded to other team members depending on how many points they lost. Or, to use the vernacular, dropped.
Bud Ekins was born in 1930 as James Sherwin Ekins. Hollywood, California was his birthplace, and it was in the hills around his home that he learned to ride motorcycles and handle the dirt. His first ISDT was in 1964—and that was a special year because an American team had never entered this august event (although individual US riders had participated). Steve McQueen, famously, also rode in that trial.
Overall, on seven occasions Bud Ekins competed in the ISDT. He was awarded four gold medals and one silver (all of them whilst riding Triumph motorcycles, fact fiends). Which brings us back to the above Husqvarna MX360 Viking which is the machine he deployed on that occasion.
We're told that his brother, Dave Ekins, has verified the provenance of the Husky, and we're also told (oh-oh) that the bike has been restored to a very high standard. Bud Ekins died in 2007 aged 77.
Want more facts to add to the legend? Okay. In 1966, the MX360 retailed in the USA for $360. Only ten examples were imported that year (no info on 1967 model prices and import numbers). And this bike is estimated by H&H to sell at £10,000 - £15,000. Incidentally, we don't know how the motorcycle came to be here in the UK (or if we did, we've since forgotten), so you'll have to make your own enquiries if need be.
The H&H sale is scheduled for Saturday 2nd March 2019. The venue is The National Motorcycle Museum (NMM), Solihull B92 0EJ. There's plenty of documentation with the bike, and the engine/frame numbers match.
So if you want to be part of the legend, scurry along to the NMM, register your interest and make your play. Meanwhile, did we ever tell you about Bud Ekins' time with 617 Squadron when they raided the German Dams with that bouncing bomb, thingy?
No, well it goes something like this ...
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Snowy conditions prevail in the South West
The event has been rescheduled for later this month
Mortons Media has announced the postponement of the 38th Carole Nash Bristol Classic Show. The event had been scheduled for this weekend, 2nd & 3rd February 2019. But the current snowy weather conditions, we're advised, 
have forced a reschedule.
So if you're planning to attend, the new date is 23rd & 24th February 2019. Advance tickets are still valid.
www.bristolclassicbikeshow.com
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