2021 production Harley-Davidson Pan Americas revealed. 1,250cc. 150hp
UK gov scraps Vnuk [compulsory MC private land/racing insurance] plans
French 5yr MC lane-splitting experiment. 12% crash rise. Splitting banned
E10 petrol in the UK by summer 2021. E5 Super grade "also be on sale" 
"2022" Indian range (116ci/1,890cc Chief Bobber Dark Horse shown)
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Motorcycle News' figures are worse than ever Classic Bike is also shedding large numbers of readers We used this cheeky image back in 2014 when the story was that Motorcycle News (MCN) was facing a large fall in its average weekly circulation (down from 94,941 in 2012 to 85,651 in 2013—a 9.78% drop). But we think our graphic can stand another viewing. That's partly because we see from the latest ABC (Audit Bureau of Circulation) figures that 2019 - 2020 is no exception to the remorseless decline. Check the chart immediately below for 2019 - 2020 Bauer Publishing ABC figures which detail the circulations of the four biggest motorcycle print publications in the UK*. The numbers in brackets are last year's figures. MCN: 44,241 (48,525)
Bike: 31,191 (31,813) Classic Bike: 26,213 (30,776)
Ride Magazine: 24,831 (28,057)
Now check the figures for 2012 - 2013. Despite the fact that there's still a fairly healthy interest in motorcycling in the UK, it seems clear that the print magazines are steadily losing ground—no doubt largely because of the internet motorcycle sites, forums and suchlike that (arguably) better serve people's current needs. Then again, when viewed in the light of the coronavirus pandemic, the publications are not doing so bad. But it's not good.
| Publication | 2013 | 2012 | Change | | Motor Cycle News | 85,651 | 94,941 | -9.78% | | Bike | 38,486 | 44,277 | -13.08% | | Classic Bike | 39,125 | 41,191 | -5.02% | | RiDE | 35,276 | 40,434 | -12.76% | | Performance Bikes | 16,384 | 18,811 | -12.90% | | Practical Sportsbikes | 20,277 | 20,895 | -2.96% | | Fast Bikes | 17,626 | 20,553 | -14.24% | | Total | 252,825 | 281,102 | -10.06% |
It's also worth remembering that twenty or so years ago, MCN was somewhere north of 150,000 copies per week. And we well remember Bike and Performance Bikes at two or three times the average monthly sales numbers they currently enjoy (for want of a better word). Where things are biting even harder now is the chronic loss of advertising revenue which, unless there's a rapid change in fortunes, will ultimately send more than a few UK motorcycle print publications to the wall. It can only be a question of time—or will they simply bumble along at a new and barely sustainable low? We'll see. Meanwhile, we'd like to give you some circulation numbers for Mortons Media Group motorcycle publications. But typically, the Lincolnshire-based outfit refuses to have their sales figures independently audited. However, historically speaking the Bauer rags (previously owned by EMAP) comfortably outgunned Mortons—but, of course, we invite Mortons to spin us a different tale. And Mortons, we see, is also suffering the repeated cancellations of its breadwinning shows and must therefore be facing serious financial worries.  Among the classic bike community, confidence in Morton's shows is currently very low. And what with the privations of the current lockdown (that under the auspices of Project Boris wasn't supposed to happen), it's difficult to see how these events can be soundly re-established in 2021.
* Note that having no clear evidence to the contrary, we're assuming the aforementioned Bauer titles are still the UK's largest. But it's possible that one or more Mortons motorcycle titles has a greater circulation. However, we doubt it. If you know differently, let us know please.
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www.britishdealernews.co.uk 
A new dawn for Fantic How the European bike market coped with covid Motorcycle Live to rise like a phoenix [re-scheduled for 4th - 12th Dec 2021]
www.motorcyclenews.com Interest in collectible bikes climbs during covid Harry Dunn: [US] Judge dismisses Sacoolas objections [civil case pending] Leaving the EU reveals new hidden costs to move bikes [Carnet issue]
www.bennetts.co.uk/bikesocial 
Buell is back [EBR Motorcycles "regains rights" to Buell name]
www.visordown.com 
Custom R.E Continental GT 650. Anthony Partridge of Goblin Works Win a brand-new Triumph Trident 660 with Apex 66
www.motorbikewriter.com Lane filtering study has shock results Are bike shows and press launches dead?
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Scammers are at work again Fake Facebook page created re long established London parts dealer We have to take great care when writing news stories such as this. That's because we're often getting (dozy) emails from folk who have read what we wrote, and then promptly picked up the wrong end of the spanner having totally misunderstood what we were talking about. And that could lead to damaging misinformation being bandied around. So let's start by saying that Russell Motors in Battersea, London is a good classic bike parts business that's been serving the motorcycle community well for decades. Yes, their bedside manner could use a little Solvol (and it pains us to say that). But when the business is on form, people speak highly of Russell's who have many times helped folk out of a jam. However, we've been tipped off that someone is covertly operating a Facebook account in the name of Russell Motors, and what we're hearing sounds like an ongoing scam. Certainly, Russell Motors hasn't progressed beyond the telephone and fax machine stage when it comes to business communications. In short, there is no legitimate website or Facebook page associated with this company. But there's always another very plausible scammer (often with some or lots of knowledge of classic motorcycles) waiting to suck up your money. There is a mobile telephone number associated with this Facebook page. Don't use it. And don't buy from this page. You've been warned. And naturally, we're not directing anyone to that page. Meanwhile you can still do legitimate business with Russell's, but telephone only using the number below. Repeat, telephone first. Or take a trip there and buy/collect across the counter. So let's re-state our message for anyone who still hasn't got it: RUSSELL MOTORS ARE GOOD GUYS. BUT SOMEONE HAS APPARENTLY HIJACKED THEIR IDENTITY. Here's the correct address for Russell's: 125 Falcon Rd, Battersea, London SW11 2PE And here's the correct telephone number: 0207 924 4273 or 0044 207 924 4273 from overseas  And one more thing. Don't even take our word for it. Check around elsewhere, do some legwork, be suspicious, and make sure you know who you're dealing with—especially if large sums of money are concerned.
Come to that, let's not give the scammers any small change either. What do you say, people?
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Hi, I’ve been using Russell Motors in Battersea for many years and the service I’ve received has been first class. Les has invaluable knowledge of the parts and bikes and has always advised me well on my many visits to his shop. —James (the cabbie).
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Milwaukee is pulling the apparel plug after just 2 years on the platform Amazon is yet to respond It was back in 2018 that Harley-Davidson announced that it was partnering with online shopping giant, Amazon, and would be flogging its branded apparel through the controversial Seattle-based multinational. Here's what H-D senior vice president of marketing and branding, Heather Malenshek, said at the time via a press release. "The reach Amazon offers is critical to building stronger customer relationships, inspiring new people and creating an integrated online and in-dealership retail experience—all of which leads to profitable growth and a stronger brand."
Sounds promising and upbeat. The tie-up was intended to address the problem of continued falling sales of H-D branded T-shirts, baseball caps, sweatshirts and the like. But the deal has since soured, and MoCo has now pulled the plug and said adios to Amazon citing price-bashing issues that were undercutting its established dealer network profits. But wait a minute? What about letting market forces set the prices? Isn't that the American way? Well yes. But arguably only up to a point. The fact is Amazon's entire ethos is to disrupt the market for pretty much everyone else and not merely "compete fairly" in the more orthodox way. So much so that as a public company, Amazon took years to make a profit whilst artfully squeezing tens of thousands of honest/established/traditional businesses clean out of business. Meanwhile, old skool bricks-and-mortar businesses, which pay their civic rates and expect (or at least would like) some protection from the huge players who have effectively rigged the market by dominating giant sections of the www, have long been pretty much hung out to dry. 
Well, Harley-Davidson has seemingly made a move in the right direction, and its dealers are naturally said to be pleased. But whether or not Milwaukee, in the current nose-diving economic climate, can afford to stay out of Amazon's clutches remains to be seen. And we should say that there's much about this story that we don't understand; notably exactly how H-D has been operating its pricing on Amazon's platform, and what terms and conditions were being applied—and what the hell MoCo really expected with the (unlikely?) union. As ever, there's usually much more going on than you read in the headlines. Harley-Davidson CEO Jochen Zeitz has been quoted as saying: "We want to have a fully integrated, digital e-commerce business with our dealers, Amazon was not really something that got our dealers into the mix." Given the amount of poor quality knock-offs and poor trading practices that go on out there in Consumerland, it's amazing that anyone still buys anything from Amazon, not least from the big name firms. But of course, the lure of low-low prices is powerful voodoo for even the best of us, never mind that the long term consequences of backing or indulging the likes of Amazon, Google, Facebook, YouTube et al is little  more than a self-inflicted economic wound, and in that regard we're already seeing the blood flowing. Vive la revolution, as we're fond of saying (if it ever comes). We're vainly hoping that everyone dumps Amazon. But it probably ain't going to happen. Not soon, anyway.
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Harley currently reminds me of VW in that when the Beetle finally reached the end of the road, Adolf's car company struggled to find a place in the market with new products. I think the various machinations taking place at Harley Davidson now are all part of them trying to find their way again as the V-twin they've produced for so long is approaching its demise—along with the Harley owners that love it. Frankly I wish them well. To date they've survived a few crisis situations and I hope they survive this one. Life without Harley Davidson? It's a hard concept to take on, even though I've only owned one myself.—The Village Squire
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Another warning from the self-appointed guardians of liberty Madeleine Stowe shares a few misgivings Civil liberties campaigning group Big Brother Watch (BBW) has asked us to share the above You Tube video, and we're happy (or at least willing) to oblige. The video is catchily titled: 5 Things You Need To Know About The UK's Current Lockdown. It's a six minute diatribe by BBW's Madeleine Stowe expounding on some of the darker issues relating to the UK government's handling (mishandling?) of the current Covid-19 emergency, and on the face of it it doesn't look like too much to get excited about. Yet. Yes, there could be some significant smoke building here. But we don't see any flames yet. However, as ever we think we should err on the side of caution, etc, and we've got our own reasons for questioning the antics of the British police who feature widely in this footage (and, as we've said before, we're not anti-police per se—we just think they should be kept on a very short leash). There's background music throughout this video that irritates the hell out of us. But if you can stomach that, have a listen and (where appropriate) share your own experiences with BBW. www.bigbrotherwatch.org.uk 5 Things You Tube Video
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Dear Sumpers, Again you are sharing very dubious content from the fringe tin foil hat minority. There's nothing wrong with fringe or with tin foil hats off course [sic] but this is a one sided argument and if you are genuine about what you are as journalists you should be more balanced and verify the views you share. The policing of public discourse is everywhere in a state of chaos. Footballers and film stars are deluged with anonymous abuse. Mendacity about corona-virus, not reasonable scepticism, is allowed free rein at any cost to lives and liberty. Fake news feeds mob rule without restraint, correction or retribution. People are dying in huge numbers and many many people are ignoring public safety advice to reduce risk and follow guidelines. Self policing isn't working and so sadly in the absence of self policing, rigid enforcement has become necessary. The argument fell on the floor with seat belts, speed limits and helmets; if the public won't act in the greater good then enforcement will inevitably follow. For every video of police over zealousness I can show you 100 of irrisponsible [sic] individuals putting lives at risk, shirking their responsibilities so threatening all of our safety and by consequence our liberty. Are you going to start showing videos of empty hospital corridors?—Phil Cowley. No. We're just going to let people make up their own minds. It's stupid and impractical to suggest that we, at Sump, must verify everything that comes our way. It's up to individuals to do that and check as many sources as possible. We think that it's you that's backing a one-sided argument and trying to censor opposing views. We're not saying that BBW is right. We're simply letting people know what they are saying. But you go on and suck up all the propaganda you want. We're keeping an open mind and just watching.—Dexxion
Really enjoy SUMP news and articles but please don’t put these videos of the likes of BBW on here, we are about bikes and bikers, we don’t want to here about these hippies that have nothing better to do than complain about everything, probably claiming all the benefits, not paid a penny in tax. Round them all up and put them in the forces.—Philip Jackson
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January 2021
Brough Superior Bert Le Vack tribute model. 997cc. 100bhp. Mid-2021
Motorcyclist and charity fundraiser Captain Sir Tom Moore dies at age 100
Joe Biden administration refuses Anne Saccolas extradition (Harry Dunn)
EU flag removed from all UK number plates & licences (1st January 2021)
International driving permit not needed for EU (inc Switzerland & Norway)
Norton Motorcycles opens new manufacturing plant in Solihull, West Mids
Stafford Show shifted (again) to 5/6th June 2021 (was 24/25th April 2021)
Motorcycle racer & engineer Peter Williams dies aged 81 (1939 - 2020)
Long established AMC man Ernie Merryweather dies aged 86 (1934 - 2020)
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1961 Dommie 600 and a 1951 AJS 500cc Model 18 to sell But note the change of date from Feb to April The Canterbury Auction Galleries has announced a change of date for its next auction. It was to take place on 6th - 7th February 2021. But Covid-19 has had something to say about that. So it's been shifted to 10th/11th/12th April 2021—subject to whatever government anti-virus regulations are in force (and if any of us are still alive). Two highlighted bikes include the immediately above 1961 600cc Norton Dominator 99, and the immediately below 1951 500cc AJS Model 18 CS replica. Both are being sold by a hardcore VMCC man who's clearly kept these two gems in fine fettle. 
Fifty years ago the Norton was bought by the vendor from Alan Trow Motorcycles of Welling, Kent. Listed as "in stunning original condition", the bike has matching frame and engine numbers, plus its original registration number, plus its original Dunlop steel wheel rims, plus an optional extra fully enclosed rear chaincase and a pair of original Paul Dunstall Gold Star silencers that were fitted from new. It's not exactly a "time warp" motorcycle. But it's nevertheless a beautiful example of the marque, and it's gotta hurt the vendor by letting it go. If we were the kind of people who went around saying stuff like "I really feel your pain, man," we'd probably say something exactly like that. But we ain't, and we won't. Still... Back in 1961, this dove grey classic cost £317 2s 10d including tax (£288 5s 10d pre tax). The lesser known auction house reckons that it will sell for somewhere between £5,000 and £7,000.
Meanwhile, the 1951 500cc AJS Model 18 CS (Replica) is advertised as being fully refurbished, certainly as far as the big bits are concerned. The bike has been around at numerous VMCC events, and it's been "extensively breathed on", and it's geared for road use. And if it matters to you, these wheels have "stormed the Hardknot and Wrynose Passes, and Snaefell on the Isle of Man!"
How that for cred? The estimate for this motorcycle is also £5,000 to £7,000. If either interest you, call Dave Parker at The Canterbury Auction Galleries, on 01227 763337. Tell 'em Sump sent ya.
www.thecanterburyauctiongalleries.com
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More powerful and torquier than ever £15,100 is the price The new Triumph Speed Triple RS has just been launched and is being hyped by Hinckley as the most powerful, lightest and best performing to date.  The engine, now completely redesigned, has been hiked from 1,050cc to 1,160cc (nominally 1200). The power has been boosted by almost 30bhp taking it up to 177.5bhp (180ps). Torque also gets a boost to 92lb-ft or 125Nm @ 9,500 rpm (that's an improvement of 5.9lb-ft). The redline has also been raised by 650rpm to—wait for it—11,150.
Ask the Triumph tech-heads and they'll tell you some other salient stuff, such the new Shift-Assist hardware, the new compact stacked gearbox, the Brembo Stylema brake calipers (with 320mm front discs), the Metzeler RACETEC RR tyres, the 198kg wet weight, the Optimised Cornering ABS, the switchable Optimised Cornering Traction Control (with IMU), the Front Wheel Lift Control, the Öhlins suspension, and the Cruise Control. There is also a 5-inch TFT instrument display. Full keyless ignition. LED lighting all over (c/w self cancelling indicators). And, while we remember, the service interval is every 12 months or 10,000 miles. 
So what's the downside? £15,100, which is going to push this roadster well out of reach of many of the guys and gals who it's aimed at, and an engine note that's either a cracking, raucous, full-on trackster scream, or just a high-pitched whine without any of the boomy richness that some of us prefer. But then, at 11,150rpm you probably can't really expect much more. It seems that Triumph has produced another fabulous update on a tried and trusted theme, and the Triple certainly looks every bit as good as it ever did (but, okay, without the initial cheeky in-yer-face impact of the first bug eye model). However, it just might turn out to be the right bike for the right people at the wrong time. Meanwhile, take note that it's the only Speed Triple now in the Triumph fold. So either pay the fifteen grand, or sink your hook somewhere else. The bikes are shipping by the end of Feb 2021. But Triumph dealers are standing by to relieve you of your deposits.
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Top Mountain Crosspoint Museum has suffered huge damage Over 200 motorcycles trashed We've commented before about the obvious folly of putting hundreds of rare and collectable motorcycles in the same museum. But we take no delight in discovering that our prognostications (such as they were) have now been rewarded with a huge fire; in this case at the Top Mountain Crosspoint Motorcycle Museum which is located at Timmelsjoch Pass (linking Austria with Italy). The fire, we're hearing, started at 4.40am. Local firefighters were summoned and arrived reasonably quickly. But the building was apparently already seriously ablaze. 
Until the preliminary investigation is completed, the museum management is contemplating the loss of over 200 machines from Brough Superior to Vincent to Zundapp to Flying Merkel to Harley-Davidson to most of the usual suspects. The museum was founded in 2016 by twins Alban and Attila Scheiber. Long time collectors of classic bikes and classic cars, the brothers dreamed of creating a suitable venue for display of their machines. The museum subsequently became known as the highest motorcycle museum in the world at 2,175 metres (for what that's worth to you). It quickly became a popular destination for "petrolheads" crossing the Italian/Austrian border. The attractive Alpine style museum was designed by architect Michael Brötz who clearly wanted to invoke memories of board track racers from the pioneer days of the last century. Hence the copious amount of wood which is very easy on the eye, and even easier on a fire. 
We don't want to comment further on this incident. It's simply not the right time for recriminations. And in any case, the facts are not yet clear. But the loss to the classic motorcycle world is likely to be very significant, and we're hoping that the management in similar venues take whatever  lessons from this that they can and organise some contingencies. In September 2003, the National Motorcycle Museum in Solihull, Birmingham UK was hit by a huge fire which damaged around 650 motorcycles, some of them irreparably so. Three of the five exhibition halls were wrecked. Many of the exhibits were, of course, irreplaceable. www.crosspoint.tirol
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Oz actor-director-biker Hugh Keays-Byrne dies aged 73 (Mad Max/Stone)
New motorway tailgating cameras. 26,000 hits/2 months. Warnings given
NMM raffles 3 Triumphs. Covid-19 fund. Tickets "£6 each". Check details
New Triumph Speed Triple 1200RS expected by end of January 2021
Ducati California Mountain View office raided. "30 FBI agents" (17/12/2020)
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December 2020
www.britishdealernews.co.uk Interim leadership at Polaris [Michael Speetzen] Triumph replaces defunct Three Cross Outlet [Destination Triumph Dorset]
www.motorcyclenews.com 
Bucketlist: Ride a classic banked circuit Get your stoppers gleaming: how to clean your motorbike's brakes Major changes on the way for KTM 890 Adventure
www.bennetts.co.uk/bikesocial How new Coronavirus lockdown restrictions affect motorcycling
www.visordown.com 
Top 10 pioneering motorcycles that were way before their time Bajaj Auto: world’s most valuable motorcycle manufacturer worth $13.6bn First product of Triumph-Bajaj collaboration pushed back to 2023
www.motorbikewriter.com 
The 2021 Bristol Veloce 500 Lands In the Philipines [sic]
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The sell through rate was 83% A 1925 Brough Superior tops a reasonable auction In an ever changeable universe (coronavirus, Brexit, Donald Trump, etc), it's reassuring to know that there are still some constants—such as the (outrageous?) price of Brough Superior motorcycles. Case in point is the above 1925 SS100 (Lot 125) that was recently (19th December 2020) flogged off by Mssrs H&H at the National Motorcycle Museum (NMM) near Solihull, West Midlands.  The sale price for this hunk of motorcycling aristocracy was £184,000 and is apparently one of "possibly" 20 known examples—which, in BS terms (and we've mentioned before somewhere), makes it as common as muck.
But of course it's not muck. It's a very competent and stylish 1,000cc OHV JAP V-twin powered bike, and we wouldn't boot it out of the garage if it stumbled between our loving legs. But we wouldn't hand over £184k for it either. It just doesn't strike us as that remarkable and isn't attached in any obvious way to any celeb except, of course, George Brough himself who probably had his mitts on it at some time. But some folk have deeper pockets than us and evidently "know a bargain when they see one", so we'll leave it right there and will go and pick on someone else. It looks like there were 175 motorcycle lots in the sale. Of that 175, 145 found buyers, with three withdrawn. That boils down to a sell-through rate of 83% (and remember our maths is lousy). And 83% is pretty good, especially during these troubled economic times (although we might mention that there are plenty of folk making a fortune these days, largely because of the pandemic and Brexit). The next highest selling item was Lot 55, a 1936 Brough Superior SS80 which sold for £55,200. And we might mention a couple of other Broughs (one estimated at £70k - £80k, and one at £35k to £45k which didn't sell on the day, but are under offer). 
▲ 1944 Triumph 3HW. This handsome 350cc OHV ex-WD bike (Lot 149) was despatched by Meriden to Littlewoods in Liverpool for onward distribution to the British Army. There's some dispute about when it was actually built (1940 v 1944), but there's a V5C present. No history with the bike. It was part of the National Motorcycle Museum's reserve collection. Dry stored. Ex-display bike. Needs recom. The price? £12,650. Not bad. 
▲ 1968 BSA A65 Spitfire Mk4. Here's Lot 137, a restored 650cc Beezer twin fresh from the National Motorcycle Museum reserve collection. These motorcycles look as good today as when they were launched in the mid-1960s. But it's only in recent years that we've seen prices hit ten grand. But this one pipped that at £10,925. Needs re-commissioning. Matching numbers. Showing 734 miles (for what that's worth). 
▲ 1955 Vincent Black Prince. This was Lot 35, and it didn't find a buyer. The estimate was £60,000 - £65,000, which is about right for these 1,000cc Series D Stevenage roadsters. But some folk simply can't get past the plastic, mentally speaking. So they're a bit hit and miss on the auction block. We like 'em plenty, simply for their oddness. But that kind of money is too much for any Vincent (in our grovellingly humble opinion). It was described as "well maintained", but close up shots suggest to us that it was actually a little tatty and leaky. Might still be available, so talk to H&H if you're a Black Prince kind of guy, or gal. 
▲ 1939 Vincent HRD Series A Comet. The selling points were: Correct numbers on its original registration
Restored by its previous owner in 1999/2000 to a very good standard
In good running order and used regularly
Comprehensive history file including photos/letters from previous owners, copy of original build sheet, Vincent Owners Club letter of authenticity, old MOT's, original manual and other associated paperwork
Fitted with dual front alloy brake plates
Current V5C and old RF60 continuation buff logbook
Described by our vendor as "a dream to ride and an easy starter". Most of all, we think, it just looks so good. This pre-war 500cc single (Lot 68) found a buyer at £44,850. 
▲ 1969 BSA D14/10 Bantam (Lot 9). Over the past five years or so we've seen some very unlikely prices being asked for BSA Bantams—which are still great fun to ride. Two grand. Three grand. Three and a half grand. We know of one bloke who spent somewhere around £20k having his Bantam professionally restored (there's a sidelong comment or two we could make about that, but we're feeling generous today and we ain't going there). So it pleases us a lot to see that this 175cc example was sold for a very reasonable £1,250. Ex-NMM. Needs the usual workshop inspection and prep before use. Pity we missed that one. Overall, the sale doesn't look too shabby. Some stuff strikes us as a little low (when compared to, say, a year or two ago). But other classic stuff has moved up a notch or two, and that might simply be a matter of price adjustment in line with fashion. It happens. H&H, meanwhile, is claiming a near £2million overall turnover and reckons that it shifted 100 percent of the NMM reserve collection. We haven't checked every bike (life's too short, and we're busy dodging the virus), but it sounds reasonable. Certainly the company is sounding pleased with the results of its final sale of 2020.
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New(ish) Central London motorcycle tyre workshop Buy online, or ride in for a fitting quote As far as we know, these guys have been around since August 2020 (but don't quote us on that). The point is, they've only recently come to our attention—and it's always wise to stay in the loop regarding motorcycle services and related suppliers. This outfit is run by Chris and Ben—Ben being Ben Cope who used to run Visordown but has since moved onto other projects. As far as we call tell, he's a pretty shrewd character and knows what he's doing. But he's no special friend of ours, so you can make up your own mind about this latest venture. Two Tyres is based in the Lambeth area of London; think Battersea Park or the Oval sports ground. The business will flog you tyres online, or will fit whatever rubber you bring (subject to their workshop charges). They deal with all types of motorcycles from tourers to cruisers to crotch rockets to classics. Tip: ask about track tyres. You can also enjoy these services: Motorcycle puncture repair
Motorcycle battery supply and fit
Motorcycle brake servicing
Motorcycle, moped and scooter servicing
Motorcycle oil and filter changes
Replacing wheel bearings
Supply and fitting a chain and sprockets We're not recommending these guys. But we're certainly not warning you. We wouldn't carry this story if we had any concerns there. Good enough? Here's an address and other contact details: Two Tyres 15-17 Clyston Street
London
SW8 4TT www.twotyres.co.uk 0207 205 2205 
One final word. Go and check your tyres before you next ride your bike. Better that you discover an accident waiting to happen before that accident actually happens. Are we right? Happy new year if we don't speak to you again before then. And try and stay locked down until the vaccine's rolled out everywhere. It just might say your life.
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Big Brother Watch has launched a new petition A recall of Parliament is demanded The boys and girls at Big Brother Watch (BBW) have been in touch again, this time appealing for signatures on their latest petition. This relates to Prime Minister Boris Johnson who's effectively "cancelled Christmas". BBW feels that Johnson needs to explain his latest diktat and justify it before the nation's MPs. And once again, we should point out that we've got some misgivings about BBW. But then, we've got misgivings about pretty much everything. So we're always listening to what they have to say even though we're not necessarily persuaded by all their claims and arguments. The organisation, however, certainly has a valid point that Boris has left himself wide open for much criticism regarding his recent failed promises to (a) give Xmas the go-ahead, and (b) his refusal to criminalise anyone wanting to celebrate or otherwise mark the festive season in the traditional way. And in a parliamentary democracy, there has to be full accountability where possible. On the other hand, poor old Boris, who's since cancelled the festivities, is going to be damned for acting too slowly, damned for acting too quickly, damned for being in control, damned for not being in control, and damned for doing pretty much anything. You'd think he was personally responsible for the arrival of the virus (although okay, he does have a few more questions to address regarding the government's anti-virus strategies over the past year). Overall, we think he's doing the very best he can, and it's hard to see who else is in the frame who could do a better job. Certainly not Keir Starmer. However, you've no doubt got your own views, so sign the petition or don't sign it. But whatever else you (and Santa) do this Christmas, make sure you STAY AWAY FROM US! This new variant of Covid-19 might well be over-hyped (as some are saying). But we're keeping well locked down until the boffins agree on what's going on and how to deal with it. Not that they ever agree about anything. And that's no bad thing. As we write, a little over 4,100 people have signed the petition. But 10,000 sigs are needed to trigger an official government response. We're not sure that that will directly lead to a parliamentary recall. Nevertheless, it might indirectly help speed things along. Stay safe, peeps. Recall Parliament petition
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Maybe they should have a petition suggesting people stay away from each other a bit more. Quite frankly, we're in the position we are because too many people are carrying on as if there is no virus (like lemmings in other words). Packed beaches in the summer (remember?). Packed shops for the sales. Packed pubs and other venues before each restriction. And packed illegal raves and parties. Slack PPE behaviour at every turn. It really is a great way to control a pandemic. Never mind looking to Boris for excuses. The BBW people should look to themselves for accountability
and so should everyone else.—The Village Squire
Dear Sumpers, your Orwellian friends [They're not our friends—Ed] are perhaps a bit too easily riled. My advice to them is; "pick your fight". The Village Squire represents the views of much of the population I suspect, and now may not be the time to challenge the decisions made to protect lives. Follow Keir Starmer's lead, you can attack Boris and his competence, (which is a bit like shooting fish in a barrel on so many fronts right now) but appearing to counter decisions to save lives is a not a winning position. However come the revolution brothers...—Phil Cowley
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Once again, we're seeing some significant price adjustments But overall, classic bike prices continue to fall We counted around 258 motorcycles at the recent Bonhams Winter Sale at Bicester, Oxon—plus many other items of memorabilia. It's hard to give precise numbers because Bonhams hasn't yet sent us a statement of the event, and we've got too much going on at the moment to spend valuable time counting and recounting each and every bike and checking the small print (withdrawn, etc). But roughly speaking, we think we that 237 motorcycles were sold, and 21 weren't. We're talking about complete bikes (with two 3-wheelers and two 4-wheelers in the list from the likes of Morgan, Douglas, AJS and BSA). So 258 lots covers it. But if exact numbers are important to you, you'll have to do your own counting. And no, we can't simply look at where the lots begin and where they end because they're not consecutively numbered. Regardless, once again we're seeing some very low prices (when compared to what classic bikes were fetching a decade ago). And it points to a little readjustment as some bikes have moved up in terms of appeal and therefore value, while others have clearly moved down. But let's get the top selling lot out of the way first, and that bike was the immediately above 1936 Brough Superior 982cc SS100 (Lot 232) which sold for a whopping £276,000 including premium. Special factory-fitted features of this machine include: Foot gear control
Separate oil tank c/w filter and C&S cap
Battery on engine pin bracket
Detachable carrier – not fitted
Small type curved top pannier bags
Non-valanced rear split guard – Wasdell
Wasdell front guard – with flap
Alum oil bath front chain case
Top & bottom rear chain covers
Amal handlebar fittings – R & LH internal twist grips
LHS brake pedal
Pillion footrests
Propstand
Dual silencer & fishtails What makes it more valuable than many other SS100s is that this bike carries the lowest engine number of any Matchless (AMC) powered Brough Superior (see Sump Classic Bike News November 2020 for more on this). Bonhams had estimated £260,000 - £280,000, so they got this one spot on at £276k (or are there other factors at work here?). This machine had been part of the National Motorcycle Museum (NMM) Reserve Collection. But it's been flogged off like the family silver largely, if not entirely, because of the coronavirus hitting museum visitor numbers. That's the "official" dope, anyway. 
And there were plenty more motorcycles selling for much less impressive numbers. Such as a 1950 Vincent Meteor for £12,650, and a 1952 Vincent Comet for £13,800. Or a 1979 Triumph Bonneville T140 with just 7 miles on the clock for £5,750 (Lot 222, see image immediately above; also part of the NMM Reserve Collection). 
Or how about a 1959 T120 Bonnie (Lot 218) for £11,500? A few years ago these Trumpets were asking, and often getting, £15,000. Granted that this one has been unused for some time. But it has been fully restored by noted experts and is showing just 500 miles or so since that rebuild. And there are many other examples of cut-price British classics. But okay, it went the other way too. For instance a 1957 498cc Triumph TRW was expected to sell for £4,000 - £6,000, which we thought was perhaps a bit mean. But the bike (Lot 224) actually sold for an impressive £10,120. Much more than we expected. Meanwhile, Lot 205 was a Royal Enfield Series 1 Interceptor that fetched £10,350, which looks like a fairly decent price (although we don't see enough of them for sale to be certain of that). We suspect that the wider resurgence of Royal Enfield has had something to do with what appears to be rising prices of these classic twins. Other interesting lots (pricewise) are Lot 207, a 1939 599cc Ariel Square Four which sold for £20,700, and Lot 208 a 1935 Ariel Square Four 4F 601cc which realised £25,300. 
▲ 1960 646cc BSA A10. This was the motorcycle combination used in the first series of the Lovejoy TV show starring Ian McShane (as Lovejoy, right) and Chris Jury (as Eric, left). The bike has had a lot of modifications (much by SRM Engineering), and it was restored ten years ago. A new tank has been fitted, but the original is available. A V5C is present too. The bike sold for £5,750 which is about average for a BSA A10. But we might have expected this motorised antique and TV star to do a little better. No? 
▲ Grasstracking ain't our thing. But if it was, at £1,610 we might be tempted to take home this c1938 249cc Triumph Tiger 70 once owned by noted motorcycle racer and enthusiast Peter McManus. No docs, but it looks pretty much all there. Cheap pre-war off-road fun—and there were many more at similar prices where this came from. 
▲ c1955 160cc Cimatti. Founded in 1937 by Olympic gold medal cyclists Marco Cimatti, the firm started with bicycles and late made a variety of lightweights and three-wheels. Never such a big name in the UK, these bikes were popular in the USA. The business went to the wall in 1984. No docs with this one. Restored. Stylish. Very. £2,530. 
▲ 1954 499cc Vincent Series C Comet. Not super cheap at £16,100. But the steady rise of Comets over the past 5 - 10 years appears to have slowed and even slipped a little. Some still see these machines as second fiddles in the Vincent orchestra. But in fact plenty of Comet owners feel that you can push these (lighter) 90mph singles much harder on the road than the twins and therefore get more fun from them. A copy V5, part V5C, and the original logbook is available. Six private owners from new.
The upshot of all this is that, as we said, there's some price adjustment going on. But overall, it seems that many classic bike prices are still 25 - 30 percent down on what they were ten years ago. Some of those adjustments strike us as perfectly "fair" and reasonable. Triumph TRWs for instance, have long been under-valued. And (dare we suggested it?) 1959 T120s were overvalued. Beyond all that, another apparent change is the price of flat tankers which seem to be struggling a little, but not desperately so. As ever, we'll be taking a closer look at this sale and trying to work out exactly which way the wind is blowing. The bottom line is that we can't take prices for granted (as if we ever really could). There are some clear "bargains" around if we're patient and keep a weather eye on the auctions. If we had to say, we think that we haven't yet hit the bottom, pricewise. See also: Sump Magazine Bonhams Winter Sale, Dec 2020
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I see that the1979 T140 7 push miles only that sold for £5,750 at Bonhams is now for sale on Ebay at £13995! —Roy Cole
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Two models in the line-up Capacity raised from 744cc to 853cc Moto Guzzi has released details of its revised V7 range, and aside from a fairly decent power increase and a few styling tweaks, there's not much to get excited about. But check the details and decide for yourself. So if you're so minded, flip over to our Motorcycle News page and see if anything grabs ya. Sump Motorcycle News December 2020
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www.britishdealernews.co.uk Bike broker buys into artificial intelligence [Principal Insurance] NMDA Comment on November motorcycle registrations Ride free with Bennetts [90 free Compulsory Basic Training courses]
www.motorcyclenews.com Royal Enfield Meteor 350 could be the ultimate budget city bike Camden shock: Council plans extortionate bike parking charges
www.bennetts.co.uk/bikesocial New Royal Enfield Meteor 350 launched in Europe Exotic tie-in creates MV Agusta Superveloce Alpine
www.visordown.com 
Norton Interim CEO releases statement regarding 961 deposits 
Official specs and price for UK-bound Royal Enfield Meteor 350
www.motorbikewriter.com 
Honda could come out with CB350 Scrambler soon
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Saturday 19th December 2020 is the date The NMM is the venue Here's a reminder that H&H will be holding a live auction on Saturday 19th December 2020 at the National Motorcycle Museum, Solihull (B92 0EJ). We've been checking the 174-lot catalogue, and there's some very decent stuff there including British, European and Japanese classics. We're talking about six or seven Vincents, at least three Broughs, plus some other pre-war exotica. There's some plastic racer stuff that doesn't appeal much to us. And there's a fair range of flat tankers if you're into pioneer era bikes. Also see the 1937 Triumph 6S De Luxe at the top of this page. We've got our eye on that, but the garage is pretty full. 
Interesting/rare bikes include the immediately above 750cc 1934 Douglas Z1 Powerflow (Lot 163). Can't remember that we've ever seen one of these in the wild, and possibly not in captivity either, come to that. This example is unregistered and is an incomplete barn find, so it's probably for hardcore Douglas fans only. Then again, pretty much all Douglas motorcycles are for hardcore Douglas fans, aren't they? Although technically not a Powerflow (the name wasn't used until 1935), this bike is nevertheless essentially the same flathead 76mm x 82mm flat twin that was intended as a sidecar hack. Customers could opt for a 4-speed foot change or 4-speed hand change gearbox, this example being the former. There was no sump on this engine. The oil was carried in a compartment in the petrol tank and fed by gravity and a gear driven pump. Moving the oil from low to high, incidentally, was a shame because some earlier Douglas engines featured a beautiful finned sump beneath the motor. But Bristol based Douglas (1907 - 1957) had been struggling for survival in the 1930s, and cost cutting was demanded to keep the marque afloat. That's a Lucas magdyno above the intake manifold, incidentally. UPDATE: This bike sold for £7,875. 
▲ By 1937 the British Aircraft Company had taken over Douglas and reconfigured the business as Aero Engines. Pride & Clarke, a London distribution and retail firm that was always quick on the trigger when it came to new marketing opportunities, became the sole agent for the marque and assembled machines directly from stock. But the 750cc bikes didn't survive and were supplanted by more cost effective models. Performance was on par with rival machines from other manufacturers, but Douglas still had plenty of street cred thanks to its various TT successes, and these fore-and-aft flat twins carried their weight low (minimising wind resistance) and generally delivered smoother mustard than many rivals. Bonhams flogged a very clean example (with a chair) back in 2013 and realised £8,050. H&H is anticipating £5,000 - £7,000 which sounds realistic. Other lots include: 
▲ Lot 172. 1929 Morgan Super Aero fitted with an 1,100cc water-cooled JAP engine and, we're guessing, a 3-speed plus reverse gearbox. The estimate is £32,000 - £36,000. Cool pre-war seat-of-the-pants motoring. UPDATE: Sold for £57,500 (way above our expectations). 
▲ Lot 155. 1950 Triumph T100 with rare Meriden factory touring kit. If you're looking for some laid back classic touring, you could so much worse than this stylish 500cc Trumpet. Dry-stored. Will require some re-commissioning. Ex-display bike. Estimate: £5,000 - £7,000. UPDATE: Sold for £8,625
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Creditors force closure Bad day for Triumph, and even worse for Ducati Last year (2019) this dealership turned over a very respectable £8.9 million. This year, with the impact of Covid-19, the nine month accounts to 31st October turnover fell to £5.5 million. So the creditors (said to be Clydesdale Bank) have pulled the plug. Lack of spare cash/working capital appears to be at the root of this particular evil. Sounds like something else is going on here? Maybe. We're no accountants. But it seems that given the status quo, it doesn't appear that this company has actually done that badly—and the signs are good that 2021 will see a big general improvement in the UK economy. Hence our uninformed feeling that this closure is premature. So where does that leave the firm? Well, it appears that the creditors are looking for some kind of commercial continuity, and they're hoping that someone will come in at the fire-sale level, if necessary, and keep this ship afloat. And that reinforces our (ignorant?) suspicion that there's another "person of colour" in this particular woodpile [oh-oh, we could get a reaction over that comment—Ed]. Triumph also enjoys Scottish dealer representation in Edinburgh and Aberdeen. But Ducati Glasgow is the only Ducati dealership north of the Scottish border. Someone will surely take up this opportunity; probably one of the bigger combines looking to consolidate its grasp on a few more throttles. And if so, a Christmas bargain is possibly to be had. UPDATE: This business has indeed since been bought by DMG (Ducati Manchester Group).
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A good turnover, but that was also probably a big loss. It's all about
profit, not turnover. No doubt the finances weren't too good. They
probably won't be the last as many newer dealerships set out with large
debts (overheads) from day one—The Village Squire
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