BBC hour-long programme is re-aired Make sure someone straps you down tightly when you listen to this We first stumbled across this radio production back in 2010 just after the initial broadcast, and nine years later we happened on it again. The Ballad of the Miners' Strike was specially commissioned by the BBC to mark the 25th anniversary of the infamous UK industrial dispute that took place over a 12 month/358 day period between 1984 and 1985. Simplified, this dispute saw Arthur Scargill of the National Union of Miners (NUM) go toe-to-toe with Margaret Thatcher and the Tory government of the day with one side (the NUM) desperate to maintain British mines and save British jobs, and the other side determined to curtail the power of the trades unions and rationalise coal production in the UK. Over 150,000 miners were involved in the strike with one of the most notorious focal points being the Orgreave Colliery, South Yorkshire. Against the miners were tens of thousands of British police officers, many on horseback, and many clearly looking for blood. That said, allegations of brutality on both sides were rife. And believable. Five people died. Thousands were injured. And the miners ultimately lost the war which over the following decades led to the closure of around 168 pits and the loss of thousands of jobs thereby creating widespread poverty in the respective communities. 
▲ There are plenty of publications around dealing with the 1984 - 1985 Miners' Strike. This one is available for around £15. You can decide for yourself where the political bias is, if anywhere. Unquestionably, this was class war at its most basic. The bottom line, perhaps, is that everyone was right. And wrong—and maybe some were more wrong than others. Meanwhile, it's worth remembering that the victors generally write the history. Many of you Sumpsters will well-remember the strike and its impact on British politics and the entire social fabric of the country—and one or two of you might have even been directly and closely involved. This one hour radio documentary features insights, cutting sound bites, poignant observations, post conflict points-of-view and homespun analysis both from members of the miner's community, members of the establishment and the media. Numerous modern folk songs have been interleaved with the narrative taking the listener into the heart and soul of the discord adding a biting historical dimension that draws a direct line between the strike, the Tolpuddle Martyrs, the Tonypandy Riots and any number of social challenges dating back to the 1381 Peasants' Revolt. 
We should point out that we're not necessarily on anyone's side. We're simply observing from the sidelines and still looking to make sense of it all, such are the complexities of the issues. It's not directly related to biking, classic or otherwise. But Sump has always been a magazine for motorcyclists rather than a motorcycle magazine, and we think this deserves a listening ear. Expect to be outraged, humbled, disturbed, challenged and even incensed. It's a heady brew of music, words, background sounds and reportage that's still struggling to find a coherent perspective and has ramifications for pretty much everyone currently living in the UK, and possibly further afield. We haven't provided a link. The BBC has a habit of dropping programmes suddenly and re-broadcasting at a later date, and we want to minimise dead connections. So if you want to re-discover/re-live those events of 1984 and 1985, open a favoured browser window and search for BALLAD OF THE MINERS' STRIKE. If it's still available, you'll know it soon enough. 
Note that you'll have to "sign in" to the BBC. It's simple enough. And note too that if your name is Johnny Foreigner, the broadcast won't be available in your country—which is a pity because, naturally, there are parallels with this event all around the world.
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When Thatcher died, the ballad/song sung throughout the South Wales valleys was; Ding Dong mae hen gwrach wedi marw. ‘Ding Dong the old witch is dead’. —Selwyn
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2020 Bullit Bluroc 125cc revealed. No price. No phone. No details. Go figure
8 autonomous Jaguar I-Pace SUVs "soon" to undergo London learning trials
Tesla electric Cybertruck. $40k - $77k. No price yet on the (cyber?) quad
Scrapped road tax disc losses: £34m (2013/14), £94m projected (2019/20)
Ace Classics 2020 calendar is now available. 12 bikes. £10 plus P&P
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I took a look at the 'Bull(sh)it' website and found this. 'Our motorcycles take their inspiration from classic British designs'....Err...No, they don't....Japanese or Chinese designs would be nearer to the mark. It's a shame the sellers/manufacturers of these bikes can't find their own 'inspiration' rather than making ridiculous statements like that. Or maybe the fact is generic Chinese bikes don't really cut it yet as a stand alone product.—The Village Squire
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Big brothers to the Leoncino 500 arriving (sometime) in 2020 New 800cc parallel twin engine (arguably) takes the fight to Ducati Benelli has launched two new motorcycles for 2020; the Leoncino 800, and the Leoncino 800 Trail. Clearly, these motorcycles have the Ducati Icon 800 squarely in their gunsights, and in the looks department it seems that this new Chinese-built Italian muscle might score a few kills (although we think, so far, that the Duke still has the edge). Meanwhile, the popular Yamaha MT-07 looks like it will also see some collateral damage if Benelli can peg the price down on the newcomers as tightly as it has on the £4,999 Leoncino 500. The new 800cc, liquid-cooled, 88mm x 62mm parallel twin engine (actually 754cc) produces a claimed 81bhp (or 60kW if you prefer) @ 9,000rpm. Peak torque kicks in at 6,500rpm with 50lb-ft (67Nm). Compare that to the rival 803cc Duke—73hp (54kW) @ 8,250rpm, and 49lb-ft (67Nm) @ 5,750 rpm—and you'll see there's not much in it. 
For both bikes, the frame is a steel trellis. The sub-frame and swinging arm are both aluminium alloy. The front fork is an inverted 50mm Marzocchi rigged for pre-load and rebound. The single rear shock/damper offers the same facility. Travel is 130mm at the front and 48mm at the rear (roadster), and 140mm/50mm for the Trail. The front brakes are Brembo 4-piston Monoblock radials operating on dual 320mm discs and backed by a single 260mm two-piston caliper. ABS, naturally, is a standard and legally mandated fitment. 
Wheels for the roadster are 17-inch wires front rear with aluminium alloy rims. The Trail model naturally enough features a 19-inch front hoop thereby increasing trail and boosting the ground clearance and seat height. Not that this is going anywhere off road that your granny couldn't get to. The weight for the roadster is said to be 220kg (485lbs). The Trail is slightly heavier at 224kg (494 lbs), possibly largely due to the dual silencer configuration and the added flyscreen. Other features include a slip-assist clutch, a 6-speed gearbox, a full-colour TFT dash, LED lighting and a centre stand. 
Benelli hasn't released prices, and there's some question over the availability of the bike. We're hearing that they might arrive as late as June 2020—and that will suit Ducati well because the firm is selling shed loads of the Icons. Can't imagine Yamaha complaining either.
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▲ Percy Tait piloting a 500cc Triumph GP racer. He never won a TT, but he was often the man to beat. Tales of Tait's prowess, daring, commitment and sense of humour are legendary. He was 90 years old when he died and clearly well ahead (or is that behind?) in another kind of race. Legendary Triumph road tester and TT racer has died Army Signals Display team rider to Worcestershire sheep breeder One million miles test riding Triumph motorcycles. That's the estimate commonly made about ex-Meriden man Percy Tait who has died aged 90. Or was that Tait's own estimate? We don't know. Either way, there can be few people who can match Tait's exploits aboard (notably) 650cc and 750cc Triumph twins and triples—and few people who can claim to have ridden around 200 miles per day for around 20 years riding both on public roads, at the MIRA proving grounds, on the European race tracks and in the wind tunnel. Percy Tait, who was born on a farm near the Meriden factory*, came to Triumph in 1950 when he was 21 years old. He'd honed his motorcycle skills in the British Army's Royal Corps of Signals White Helmets, but had notched up his first race win in 1947 riding a Triumph Jap grass-track bike. Recognising that he wasn't just another pair of hands, he was soon removed from the Triumph assembly line and sat aboard various bikes in the factory's experimental department and told to ride. His boss was Frank Baker, and it was largely Baker who encouraged Tait to try his luck and skill in motorcycle racing. The following year (1951), Percy Tait won at Silverstone riding a 250cc Triumph that Baker himself had prepared. 
Through the 1950s and 1960s, Tait entered many more races riding harder, faster and ever more shrewdly. He raced a variety of marques including NSU, Ducati and Royal Enfield (notably a 250cc two-stroke). He became deeply involved in the development of the prototype 650cc Bonneville and (later) 750cc Trident working closely with the much respected Doug Hele of the Triumph development department. In 1969 at the Belgian Grand Prix, Percy Tait's 500cc Triumph twin battled it out with Giacomo Agostini’s MV. The Italian legend won the race, but race goers remember Tait giving Agostini a serious run all the way to the finish line where he came second. Two years later (1971) Tait became MCN Superbike Champion and British 750cc champion. It was during this race, aboard an all-conquering 750cc Triumph Triple that Tait's machine suffered mechanical failure that covered him and the bike with engine oil; hence the racing legend of "Slippery Sam". He was also co-winner of the 24-hour Bol d’Or (with Ray Pickrell), and co-winner of the 500-mile Thruxton GP d’Endurance (with Dave Croxford). Tait never won an Isle of Man TT, but he finished second in the 1975 Classic on a Yamaha TZ750 dubbed Leaping Lena—which earned its name thanks to a broken steering damper. Two years later he took a spill in the 1976 TT and was seriously injured. That put an end to his racing career.
Percy Tait later ran a number of successful Suzuki car  dealerships. However, in 2002 at the age of 73, he refocused his life on stock breeding. In his younger days he had bred pigs, and soon became better known as a respected sheep breeder. There's no date yet for Percy Tait's funeral, but we suspect that it will be very well attended as the biking world says goodbye to one of the most colourful figures in the annals of Triumph Motorcycles. Note: Follow this Bud Ekins link for an interesting remark about Percy Tait; you'll find it in the comment section at the bottom of the news item. *We have since been advised that Percy Tait was in fact born and raised in Northumberland. We've got conflicting information on this. So perhaps someone else can help/advise?
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Dunn's parents seek judicial review Whitehall to seek court costs It's bound to upset most of the bikers in the country, and probably a few elsewhere in the world. But Dominic Raab, MP, speaking for the British government, has made it clear in a recent statement that if the family of Harry Dunn presses ahead with their demand for a judicial review, the British government will seek to recover its costs. Harry Dunn, you'll recall, was the 19-year old Northamptonshire motorcyclist who was recently killed in a road accident by Ann Sacoolas, 42, who soon after fled back home to the USA. Sacoolas is the wife of a US government employee working at RAF Croughton, a United States Air Force listening station. The incident happened on the morning of 27th August 2019 when Sacoolas, driving a Volvo XC90, left the base travelling on the wrong side of the road (i.e. the US right side) and collided with Dunn's motorcycle, killing him. 
Following a police interview, Sacoolas promised that she would remain in the UK during the investigation, but she subsequently fled the country claiming (hotly disputed) diplomatic immunity. A long and hard-fought media and legal campaign by the Dunn family followed, the object being to force or simply persuade Sacoolas to return to the UK. It was a campaign that went all the way to the White House and President Donald Trump. A mass motorcycle rally in support of Harry Dunn took place on 17th November 2019 gathering in Brackley, Northamptonshire. Numerous other support avenues have also been explored, but to no avail. As a result, the Dunn family is now seeking a judicial review into the role of the government in this affair, and that's led to Dominic Raab, Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, to issue a statement threatening to recover any costs involved. However, it's not clear if those costs can be recovered if the government loses the case. The UK government's point of view is that there is no justifiable legal basis for seeking a judicial review, specifically with regard to the decision to accept the Sacoolas diplomatic immunity claim. Raab has reiterated this viewpoint and claims that his office has behaved correctly. He's been quoted as saying: "We just cannot responsibly allow ourselves to be sued without taking the normal action in defending ourselves when the position that the representative and the family are pursuing in law is wrong." Regardless, the Dunn affair (if that doesn't sound too melodramatic) has heated a lot of opinion that hasn't shown much sign of cooling. The matter has been further inflamed by the fact that it's helped sour feelings between many in the UK with regard to the behaviour of others in the US. Whilst you can understand the government's wish to defend the public purse, the Dunn incident goes beyond a simple traffic accident. It's also thrown up numerous questions regarding diplomatic immunity that need exploring by non-partisan minds with sound legal expertise in international affair. In short, it sounds very much as if this is one review that the government needs to fund, not only to satisfy the general public interest, but also to clarify the position regarding UK-US diplomatic immunity and extradition. And finally, we ought to mention that the Dunn family needs simple closure on this matter; something it feels it can't do whilst the other party is refusing to surrender and face British justice.
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Hi, You don’t really expect the government to worry about public feelings? It never has. They only look after their own. As for the so called "special relationship", it’s only as good as whatever they can get from us.—Ian
The sad story of Harry Dunn being let down was started by the police attending. In the case of a fatal motor traffic accident they should have arrested the car driver immediately and released her after interview on police bail. The failure to bring charges made it easier for the driver to flee the country. If bail conditions were set, flight would have been more difficult and the US diplomatic mission would have had to get involved before the flight to invoke diplomatic immunity officially pre-flee. As it was, the failure of the police made it as simple as booking a flight. Too few police, too poorly trained, and too quick to judge a book by its cover IMHO and in my experience. A well to do SUV driver versus a young biker?—Phil Cowley
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Luigi Termignoni, founder of Termignoni Exhausts, has died, aged 75
New Avon Road Rider MKII tyres. 31 sizes. 37 specs. H & V. No prices yet
Triumph announces new Tiger 900s. Dec 2019. Tedious teaser images only
DfT list most dangerous UK driving regions (treat 'em all the same, we say)
Norton confirms 650 & V4 £1m Crowdcube production run campaign
Shoei launches Glamster full-face retro helmet. Yes, Glamster. £399 - £499
NZ TT-rider Rod Coleman (AJS/Norton/Suzuki) has died aged 93 (Aug 2019)
Stan Shenton, Triumph Tuning author/noted race promoter dies aged 91
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Better avoid eBay for a day or two Odd things are happening across dozens, or hundreds, of ads Anyone else out there notice unusual things happening on eBay tonight (16th November 2019)? Here at Sump, we were cruising around this evening and stumbled on dozens of adverts all purportedly posted by the same seller, barry650t. But look a little deeper into the advert and another message appears advising interested parties to contact (in the case of the above Triumph T120R) madt3920@gmail.com. The 1969 bike, when we last looked, was hoping for a starting bid of £2,545. Further down the page in the description field were the words: It is in excellent condition. 
Elsewhere there have been other secondary email contact addresses posted (allegedly) by barry650t. And we've seen the same name, with highly unlikely prices, popping up on cars, motorcycles, speedboats, and other stuff. So we tried all kinds of random words. MONDEO. V-ROD. CLASSIC FORD. Etc. Pretty much every time we ran into the same character; barry650t—who might be an innocent victim here rather than a perpetrator. And each ad was formatted pretty much the same way with the words: It is in excellent condition.  Clearly, it looks like a huge hack is underway, but we couldn't find any supporting evidence or feedback on forums or suchlike. And naturally, eBay has no one around to deal with this.
But we're still searching, and maybe the evidence/explanation will follow. So the question is, has anyone else experienced this, either now or in the past? And can anyone explain exactly what's happening here? Most people will probably quickly catch on and sideline this character or the characters behind it. But some will be taken in, not least by the ultra low prices. There's scope here for a mass rip off. We also noticed some adverts with very high prices, and very low prices. Specifically, there was a 1969 Ford Escort Mexico priced on one advert at £50k, and around £5 on an identical advert. Yes, we've seen duplicated adverts many times, some from obvious scammers. But this is different. It seems more sophisticated. Deep rooted. Insidious. Clearly, you're best advised to stay away from eBay until this is resolved. Except that it's never really going to be resolved because eBay appears to be constantly under attack, and has long been suffering from chronic glitches and systems failures, notably every time the site upgrades its dodgy and clearly vulnerable software. Interestingly, we were looking on eBay just an hour or two after we posted a new feature on Sump regarding HOW TO SPOT A BIKE SCAMMER. Might be worth a few minutes of your time by arming yourself with the best information we have at present. In the meantime, don't forget to let us know if you can illuminate us regarding tonight's hack attack, if that's what it is. Strange days are these.
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This scammer has been around for a long time. The ads are often 'piggy
backed' onto someone else's listings, thus gaining the 'donors' 100% feed
back rating. I've reported this one numerous times to eBay, and it's
been deleted numerous times. It will rapidly reappear though, each time
with a different listing name. The bikes/cars/boats are usually the
same, and I've got used to spotting them. The latest wheeze is that the
normal reporting system no longer works and you can't report the item/s
to eBay. I rang them about this but couldn't get any sense out of them,
and to date the situation hasn't changed. You still can't report the
fraudulent listings. Although we have satellites that read our newspapers from 100 miles up, computers that can defeat chess grand masters and ANPR cameras recording our every move it seems the computer age doesn't stretch to dealing with these people.—The Village Squire
Hi Guys, eBay has been having these scam adverts for years. Each time you report one as fraudulent, it sometimes takes eBay days for them to remove the adverts, then they reappear soon after. I have complained to eBay many times, but to no avail. Last week I reported eBay to the police (On Line) reporting them for assisting fraud and scams. I also said it must take a lot of their time processing innocent people that have been duped by the false adverts (the money could be going to terrorists, etc). But the police replied saying: Not interested. Had it been an individual, they would now be arrested. But big companies can get away with it. —Regards, Tom
Hi Sump. These eBay scams happen when a "scammer" hijacks (takes control) of a legitimate eBayer's site by getting their log-in details, normally by sending them a spoof eBay sign-in message. This usually happens to someone with good feedback. Then the hacker loads sometimes hundreds of fake listings. If you read their feedback, you will see some people unfortunately fall for it. They only need a couple to fall for the bargains, then they will move on to another hijacked site and re-list the same items. ALWAYS check what other items the seller is selling. This will give you a rough idea of what they are up to. All the best —James
I previously phoned eBay as I noticed a number of bikes listed that had been listed previously from different areas of the UK which led me to believe that ads were not genuine. As the ads included a "buy it now price", the duped would probably be required to pay a deposit. Given that the vendor with a similar seller ID was listing 300 cars, motorbikes, a couple of motorhomes and speedboats, the "profits" would have been considerable, just from the deposits. The call centre operative did not understand the subtlety of my concerns as English was not his first language. All he kept repeating was that the vendor had excellent feedback!—Dave P
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▲ Note that this isn't the actual Thruxton being offered. However, the image carried on the NMM website was so awful/low quality we couldn't use it. But as best we can tell, one of these is what the lucky raffle winner will get to straddle—and very nice it is too. Normal retail price? Around £17.5k. Triumph Factory Custom up for grabs £10 for 5 tickets Here's the latest motorcycle to be raffled by the National Motorcycle Museum (NMM). Tickets have already gone on sale, but you'll be able to buy them over the next few months. The draw, we note, will take place on Sunday 26th April 2020 at the International Classic Motorcycle Show, Stafford.
The winning ticket holder will ride away with a brand new 1,200cc Triumph Thruxton TFC Limited Edition motorcycle. It's one of 750 machines being manufactured, and it will be signed and numbered, etc. Tickets are £2 each, and we're pleased to say that the NMM has finally made it clear that you have to buy in multiples of five. So it's ten quid to enter this draw.
The 2nd Prize is a Sealey MC680E electro hydraulic motorcycle lift with a 680kg load capacity. The recommended retail price is "over £1,600". The 3rd prize (hey! who yelled "booby prize"?) is a luxury hotel break and din-dins for two at the new Marco Pierre White Steakhouse in the Manor Hotel, Meriden. The monies raised by this raffle will, we're told, go towards supporting the museum (not withstanding the great wedge of cash going to Triumph, Sealey and possibly the steakhouse). One final thing: Johnny Foreigner and people living in Northern Ireland can't participate. It's the law, apparently, so get over it. Contact the NMM if you want to buy some tickets. 
 Update: The winner of the Summer 2019 draw was Sally Peace from Wales. The NMM has published the name of the town, by why make it easier for the bike thieves (or are we being too paranoid?). And if you are a bike thief, Sally really lives in Aberdeen. Her prize (and what a prize?) is the above. 1977 Triumph Trident T160V 750cc. Her ticket number was 0694753, which means that we were only 12,174 numbers out. Damn.
www.nationalmotorcyclemuseum.co.uk
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Ariel Ace Iron Horse announced. 173hp. 1,237cc V4. CNC frame. £29,686
Motorcycle Action Group rejects forthcoming (2040) ban on petrol vehicles
Jan - Sept 2019. Rolls Royce sales up 42 percent on 2018. 3,777 vehicles
2020 Savic electric for Australia only so far. 3 variants. £6,926 - £12,790
Ron Carey, 80, London - Brighton driver in fatal crash. 1903 Knox/HGV
Ducati: 4-year unlimited warranty on all 2020 Multistrada adventure models
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It's called the AMB 001 £93k is the pocket fluff It's not that we really need any more reminders of the rampant polarisation in the world economies. The poor are getting poorer, albeit relatively speaking in many places. The rich are getting obscenely richer. The middle classes are being squeezed, etc. So it goes. Consequently it's not exactly a surprise to see Brough Superior and Aston Martin forging a manufacturing alliance with this new AMB 001. We mentioned this briefly last month, but now the wraps have been taken off at the EICMA Show, and we've got our first decent view of the motorcycle. 
With a claimed 180bhp on tap, this bike boasts "cutting edge" design. But we think that edge is actually a little blunt because we've seen this kind of thing before, many times. Nevertheless, if it carries both a Brough Superior badge and an Aston Martin badge, it's got to find plenty of buyers. And if the engineers have any marketing sense at all, they'll configure this motorcycle to run on a fine Remy Martin cognac or at least a double malt whiskey. 
The 88-degree, 997cc, turbocharged V-twin is, we understand, aimed at the track rather than the road—which may or may not have something to do with emission regulations. The structural underpinnings are much the same as found on Brough Superior's existing SS100. But the technologists have worked hard on the aerodynamics, while the stylists have evidently done what they can to meld the upmarket ethos of the two companies. Brough-Superior will build the bikes at Toulouse, France. The production run will be limited to 100 examples. £93,000 is the asking price. But for the average billionaire (and there are plenty of those to the pound), that's pocket fluff. As for performance, no doubt that will be listed as merely "adequate". Such is life. And wealth.
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I guess fancy car designers have to do something to fill a wet afternoon
when it's quiet in the office. Porsche, Lamborghini, Ferrari and
Lotus have all had a go in the past. None were a success or even
particularly impressive to most motorcyclists I know. All sank without
trace. OK, as a trinket to slot into the corner of some millionaire's
garage I suppose, but totally irrelevant to the average man on the
street.—The Village Squire
I’m sorry but I think it is ugly. I don’t know what the designer was on at the time but I’m glad I’m not taking it. It isn’t legal for the road and I don’t think it would do well on the track. It will look alright mounted on a wall to display ones wealth. —Ian
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Tyneside V-twin sold for £28,350 Vincent Black Shadow Series C fetched £83,250 Feast your eyes on the immediately above 1925 700cc N.U.T (Lot 85). This handsome round tanker has just sold for £28,350 at the H&H Sale at the National Motorcycle Museum on 2nd November 2019. The estimate was £18,000 - £20,000. The auction claims an overall sales total of £714,748 with a sell rate of 66%—which means, in case you're unsure, that 66% of the lots were sold. Or, inversely, that means that 34% didn't. Consequently, H&H can't be as happy as they might be. Ideally, you'd want a sell rate of over 80% if not 100%. But 100% is rare. And of course much depends upon exactly what sold and what didn't. So if all the "junk" (whatever that means to you) found buyers, and all the blue chip stuff didn't, that's a clear disaster. But we haven't rigorously checked the details, largely because we've simply got too much going on around here at the moment now that our busy season has started. Also we're spending a lot of time getting the bikes serviced and sorted for the coming winter, etc. But we have glanced through the listings and pulled out a few lots that interested us. 
H&H, take note, isn't claiming that the aforementioned N.U.T fetched the highest price ever. The firm is simply saying that it's the highest price fetched at auction, and we've no information to the contrary. N.U.T Motorcycles 
N.U.T stands for Newcastle Upon Tyne. The firm was founded in 1912 by Hugh Mason (pictured immediately above) and Jock Hall. Six years earlier, this dynamic duo had been manufacturing bikes badged as HM (Hugh Mason's initials). Mason was the chief designer, and he both test rode the bikes and raced them. The business experimented with a range of engines including Jap and Villiers units, and the company also developed its own sidevalve V-twin. There was some racing success too, notably on the Isle of Man when in 1913 a 350cc JAP-engined N.U.T ridden by Mason won the 225-mile Junior TT (with just a 46 second lead, apparently). These were good days for the business, and the reputation grew accordingly. But partly as a result of WW1, the finances suffered (falling sales, higher materials costs, and difficulty in acquiring materials). It was then that a certain Robert Ellis (who had raced an N.U.T in the 1912 Junior and finished 6th) bought the assets of the company and relaunched N.U.T as Hugh Mason & Company. For a few years it struggled on, but by 1933 the momentum had gone. Mason had since left and was no longer involved at any level. The racing days were mostly done. The bike prices (at around £140 - £150) were not really competitive—although the quality was very high. The market was changing, and the business was wound up. It's generally thought that no more than 400 N.U.T motorcycles were built. This example (immediately above) was meticulously restored by its late owner. It carries its original registration numbers, and has a V5C. Some re-commissioning will be needed by its new owner. The bike isn't eligible for the Pioneer Run. But the Banbury Run will certainly welcome this very stylish motorcycle. 
Meanwhile, the highest priced lot was the immediately above 1951 Series C Vincent Black Shadow (Lot 80) which sold for £83,250. The bike, we hear, was despatched to Surtees of Forest Hill, South London. That was on the 19th November 1951. Not much is known (or at least is being told) about the bike's history from then up until the 1980s. That was when the vendor bought it in a dismantled (but complete) condition and sent it to noted restorer Bob Dunn of Bury, Lancashire. Some time later the matching numbers 998cc OHV V-twin was finished and "sensibly" upgraded. But (deep sigh everyone), the vendor has since covered just 125 miles on the bike. 125. Miserable. Miles. Anyway, it fetched a tidy sum—and maybe the new owner will condescend to give the Vinnie a good thrashing from time to time (but at eighty-odd grand, this bike might never see sunlight again never mind tarmac). Other lots that caught our eye 
▲ 1961 Triumph 6T. This 650cc machine (Lot 90) doesn't have matching numbers, but is restored and looks in good shape. However, the numbers don't match the details on the V5C. Consequently potential buyers were advised by H&H to satisfy themselves regarding the authenticity, etc. The estimate was £4,500 - £5,500. There are questions here regarding auctioning a bike with a dubious/suspicious provenance, but we won't go there today. It might have been a bargain for someone prepared to take a chance. Check the merged engine/frame image immediately below. 
▲ Lot 70, 1935 Chater-Lea 545cc 'AA Patrol' bike. The inverted commas are H&H's handiwork which could imply it's not a genuine ex-AA machine. Or maybe we're reading too much into it. Either way, the estimate was £8,000 - £10,000, and it sold for £9,562.50. That's strikes us as a very good price for a rare, but not really remarkable, sidevalve single. 
▲ Lot 46, 1972 BSA A65. These clean looking 650s have steadily risen in value over the past five to ten years. This example was estimated at £5,500 - £6,000. It sold for £6,187.50. Display bike for many years. Will require some fettling to get it back on the road. Matching numbers. 
▲ Lot 42, 1997 Harley-Davidson Sportster XL1200S. This wannabe turn of the (last) century board track racer sold for a surprising £7,312.50 from a £4,500 - £5,500 estimate. Nice idea (sort of), but to us at Sump it looks a bit lumbering and therefore fails to summon up the zeitgeist of the target era. But no doubt it will puzzle a few motorists as the new owner blasts by at 90mph or so. Food for thought perchance. Meanwhile, a 1982 750cc Triumph TSX ("in rare colour"—that we've never seen) sold for £6,750 (£6,500 - £7,000 estimate). That was Lot 112. A 1950 Series C Vincent Comet (Lot 117) fitted with a 998cc Rapide engine carried an estimate of £27,000 - £29,000. It sold for £23k. And we've seen quite a few Triumphs failing to sell at estimates that, a year or two ago, would have been comfortably achieved.  Overall, we'd say that many lower priced classics are still doing okay (£2k to £3k bikes). But there's a lot of stuff at around the £10k mark, and upward, that didn't sell. Actually, it's more than that. It looks as if buyers are now being more selective than usual.
Hard to explain that. Buyers, after all, usually study the catalogues and select what they want. Except that we've seen many examples of lots that have comfortably hit their estimates, but the next bike in line has foundered. Hence our feeling that rather than generally cherry picking, buyers are seeking the very best of the best cherries—and that's left some pretty good stuff on the tree that "ought" to have found a new home.  The conclusion might well be that there are still buyers with money prepared to pay, but not so many as before. And that chimes with our general view of the current classic bike market, at least as far as the UK is concerned. It's cooling further, but selectively. There are still plenty of bikes asking, and getting, good/top money. Inversely, there are plenty of other bikes that are significantly down in price.
www.handh.co.uk
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Prices for ALL classics, cars or bikes will continue to drop as their market is croaking. Am a member of the Matchless and Studebaker clubs......bunch of white haired guys....including 71-year old me. Younger gen are just not interested.—Leo Brady
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Limited edition Bonneville bob-job gets extra "customisation" 750 will be built TFC stands for Triumph Factory Custom. That's fairly common knowledge among aficionados and Triumph watchers. And okay, the phrase "factory custom" is a contradiction in terms. But we all know what it means, so maybe we can leave the semantics to one side and simply consider the bike instead. In this instance, Triumph has given the TFC treatment to its 1,200cc notably with suspension and braking upgrades, plus bit more oomph and a few more revs. Shift over to our Motorcycle News page for more on this bike. But don't stand next to anything sharp while you check the price, because cheap it ain't. Then again, you generally get what you pay for, and this bike is a pretty convincing bag'o'bolts for the custom crowd.
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▲ 2020 Triumph T120 Bud Ekins Special Edition. Smart marketing? Or crass commercialisation? Either way, these are great motorcycles that rock'n'roll on their own merits. But when are we going to see the Sump Special? Watch this space, spacemen... The late Hollwood stuntman gets a belated honour from Hinckley A T100 and a T120 Bonneville now bear his name Now don't take this the wrong way, anyone. We've got nothing against "Genuine Motorcycle Legend" Bud Ekins (1930 - 2007). From all accounts he was a great bloke and an exceptional rider, and he hasn't done any harm whatsoever to Triumph; our favourite motorcycle brand. As such, it was only natural that Triumph might want to cash-in on this guy's fame & street cred (or is that off-road cred?) by releasing a couple of special edition Bonnevilles in his honour, so to speak. And the bikes certainly look very nice, of course. One is a 900cc T100. The other is a 1,200cc high torque T120, and both motorcycles (interestingly) feature Triumph's "Heritage" logo on the petrol tanks; unseen on a production Trumpet for 30 years. 
Bud Ekins (in case you're out of the loop) was a Hollywood stuntman, motorcycle racer, California Triumph motorcycle dealer, and close friend of Hollywood A-lister Steve McQueen. And Ekins was also the bloke who jumped that fence in the WW2 movie The Great Escape (1963)—although it took many decades for that little nugget of cinematic information to worm its way into the minds of the average biker (and most movie fans still think it was McQueen who leaped the wires). Regardless, 12 years after his death, Ekins has now got what some would say he deserved; a commemorative motorcycle straight from the Triumph factory. Features of the new bikes include a two-tone paint job with hand-painted coach lines, Bud Ekins' personal logo on the fuel tank and front mudguard, a Monza style fuel filler cap, LED indicators, knurled handlebar grips, and bespoke black engine badges. 
Finally, to add some credibility to the project (and here comes the rub), we hear that "certificates of authenticity" will be issued for all bikes, and they'll be signed not only by Triumph head honcho, Nick Bloor, but also by ... wait for it, Bud Ekins' two daughters. Yes, you read that right. A (nice) bloke named Ekins whose chief claim to fame was that he was friends with Steve McQueen, and who incidentally jumped a fence in an unconvincing WW2 flick, and who had zero connection with a Triumph factory in Leicestershire, England, is having a couple of bikes built in his honour and having that honour underpinned by the signatures of Triumph CEO Nick Bloor and Ekins' two daughters (Susan and Donna). Or is that the wrong way to look at it? You can decide that for yourself at your leisure. But we think that Triumph has perhaps jumped a small but cheesy/soft-boiled/tasteless fence there somewhere and should have settled for something more straightforward, or might have considered even leaving Ekins out of it altogether and not sucking whatever juice is left in his memory. It's not as if Hinckley doesn't produce some of the best bikes in the world that are already selling pretty well. Or are they? 
Either way, if you want to buy one of the genuine Bud-Ekins-and-whoever-else-is-whistled-up-to-add-extra-sales-cred Bonnevilles, the T120 is expected to sell at £10,900, while the T100 is asking £9,200. No delivery date at the time of writing. Meanwhile, we're holding out for the James Dean, Clint Eastwood and Marlon Brando models. Gotta be a few more bucks waiting to be squeezed out of these celebs. www.triumphmotorcycles.co.uk
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Good evening Sumpfolks. More appropriate, in my opinion, would be a Percy Tait Triumph Thruxton. At least the man is still with us and could personally sign them; after all he was both a Triumph employee and had great success developing and racing their products.—Selwyn [That's a very good point, and we'd back it 100 percent—Ed]
Dull, Dull, Dull...Yet another Triumph 'special edition' with nothing
more special than an uninspiring paint job and a couple of trinkets like
a different fuel cap...It really is time that a 'special edition' had
some genuinely meaningful changes to its engine power, handling or the
overall specifications such as parts quality upgrades and alterations...
These bikes represent yet another Triumph (sic.) of marketing over
substance...It's really getting tedious.—The Village Squire
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