April 2012  Classic bike news

— The Third Man

Bert Weedon: 1920-2012

We've still got a Bert Weedon "Play in a Day" guitar instruction book. It's around here somewhere mixed in with the bike brochures and shop manuals and suchlike (probably in the suitcase under the bed).

If you grew up in the UK in the 1950s and 1960s, Bert Weedon was a home-brewed king of twang who gave pop stars like Marty Wilde, Adam Faith, Billy Fury, Cliff Richard and Tommy Steele exactly the right guitar-picking intros and backing they needed to propel them to the top of the charts.

But to others, he was more famous as being the guy who gave them their first guitar chords and licks.

Weedon was born in East Ham in East London, the son of a tube train driver. He got his first guitar at age 12, bought from Petticoat Lane market, and started out as a formal, classical player.

By the late 1940s, following a tour of duty in the London rescue services shaking his fist at Hitler and saving lives, Herbert Maurice Weedon, was playing electric.

Soon after, he found himself strumming along in Stephane Grappeli's band sitting in the chair that had earlier been warmed by no less a guitar maestro than Django Reinhardt.

In the late 1950s, Guitar Boogie Shuffle gave Bert his first big break in the charts, and from then on he was pretty much constantly in demand as a session musician.

In the 1960s he moved into broadcasting, and for a while enjoyed his own TV show. He gave live performances all over the country performing in theatres and clubs. But he was kind of uncool too with his straight-looking, "square" appearance. However, without his famous (and famously thin) guitar manual, there might never have been Pete Townsend, Eric Clapton and Keith Richards, all of whom came from the same self-taught-in-your-bedroom school of rock'n'roll musicianship.

If you've still got a collection of sixties or even seventies vinyl, chances are that there's a fair amount of Bert Weedon in there somewhere, either directly or indirectly.

He was awarded an OBE in 2001, and died aged 91 on 20th April 2012. That's a pretty good innings, of course, but it's always a loss when great men who've lived great lives breathe their last.

The next chord twanging from the Sump Telecaster will be for Bert.

— Dexxion

Norton set to race at the 2012 IOM Senior TT

It's got an Aprilia RSV-V4 engine, a Spondon frame, Brembo brakes and Ohlins suspension—and the hallowed Norton name on the aluminium tank.
 

But is it a Norton?

Norton boss Stuart Garner certainly thinks so (but there would be many who feel otherwise). And he does part-own Spondon Engineering, which helps keep it all in the family, so to speak. Or then again, is it really a Spondon-Aprilia with Norton pretensions?

Either way, Norton is preparing to race the Norton/Not-a-Real-Norton/Possibly a Spondon-Something-Or-Other at the 2012 Isle of Man TT, and good luck to 'em.

Aprilia isn't jointly behind the project, except as an engine supplier. But what an engine. The RSV V4 lump has mucho-mucho track cred, and the word is that Norton is in with a chance of riding away from this event not with the winners cup, perhaps, but certainly with its corporate head held at a reasonable angle.

The bike has been frantically cobbled together at Donington Park (home of Norton), and the firm's machine shop has been busily crafting everything from "wheel spindles to throttle bodies".

Meanwhile, the company is still "committed to its road bike business", we hear. But Garner is evidently looking for a few racing plaudits perhaps to help underpin (or draw a line under) a difficult few years in which customers have been complaining about repeated failure to deliver the goods.

Let's hope that Norton gets out there and pulls a big fat racing rabbit from a hat, and then returns next year with something that everyone agrees is a Norton not just in name, but in spirit too.

— Sam 7

Three Crockers head for Stafford

▲ Update:  This 1937 "Big Tank" Crocker sold at Bonhams' Quail Lodge sale on 16th August 2012. The price was $302,000 (£196,874). Engine number: 37-61-25.

▲ Update:  This 1937 "Big Tank" Crocker sold at Bonhams' Quail Lodge sale on 16th August 2012. The price was $291,000 (£189,703). Engine number: 37-61-24.

▲ Update:  This 1940 "Big Tank" Crocker sold at Bonhams' Quail Lodge sale on 16th August 2012. The price was $302,000 (£196,874). Engine number: 40.61.109

If this lot doesn't make the 2012 International Classic Motorcycle Show (Stafford) the biggest yet, we'll eat our Triumphs. You're looking at a trio of the most coveted items of motorcycling Americana, and Bonhams is practically bringing 'em to your door.

Why? Because auction maestros Bonhams know exactly how to make grown men sit up and pay attention, and then cry—and there will be a lot of tears flowing on 28th and 29th April when these hunks of Yankee beef get unwrapped.

Albert Crocker built his legendary motorcycles between 1934-1941.
The total number manufactured is around 175. Around one hundred of these were his iconic 100-mph, 1000cc/61 cubic inch V-twins (Crocker also built single cylinder speedway bikes plus the utilitarian Scootabout (1940 - 1941).

The three Crockers above (in descending order: 1937, 1937 and 1941) will be on display throughout the Stafford show before disappearing back across the pond where Bonhams will be auctioning them.

Jay Leno, we hear, already owns a Crocker. Steve McQueen used to own one (which was sold in 2006 for £175,000). Most of the rest of us are never going to get to see one, let alone park one in our garage. But if you want to get within spitting distance of this "Holy Grail" of motorcycling, get along to Stafford. It's the 32nd annual show, and is sponsored once again by Carole Nash.

Albert Crocker

Albert G Crocker was born in 1882. He began his career with the Aurora Automatic Machine Company which manufactured Thor Motorcycles. Crocker worked as a factory rider, and later as a designer, and enjoyed his share of success on the board tracks and dirt tracks of the era.

He became an Indian motorcycle dealer operating in Denver, Colorado, and was soon the company's Kansas City rep. In the late 1920s, he relocated to Los Angeles and bought the Freed Cycle Company and traded once more in Indians.

Working with engineer Paul Bigsby (the guy who designed the classic guitar tremolo arm of the same name), Crocker set about creating a series of speedway bikes propelled by 750cc Indian Scout V-twin motors.

He quickly realised that two-cylinders and short-tracks didn't sit well with each other, and so created a Scout-based 500cc single. From across the pond, British JAP-powered bikes gave Crocker a run for his money forcing him to shift his horizons a little and relinquish the board tracks for the road.

His first 1000cc V-twin, launched in 1936, was an OHV hemi with exposed valve gear. The gearbox was integral with the frame. Aluminium was used everywhere it could be used including engine cases, handlebars, fuel tank, tail light, instrument panel and footboards.

This bike, it's claimed, produced 50 bhp @ 5800 rpm. The weight was around 480 lbs (218 kg).

Crocker's bikes were no commercial threat to Harley-Davidson and Indian. But in terms of prestige, Albert G was a nuisance of the first order. His machines regularly trounced Harleys and Indians. One hundred miles per hour was the Crocker benchmark, with one-twenty on tap for extra special bikes. But then, they were all special. Crocker's bikes, after all, were hand built; each slightly different and improved over the one before.

He famously offered to buy back any bike that was beaten by a Harley or an Indian, and it's said that no one ever asked him to make good on the challenge.

To cut out the middleman, he sold direct to the public, but his bikes were still expensive to produce, and expensive to buy.

By 1941, when the US entered the second world war, materials were in short supply. Albert Crocker stopped bike production and threw his machine shops into defence work. Post-war, the times had changed and the golden age was over.

Albert Crocker died in 1961. He was 79.

— The Third Man

New Genuine Sump T-shirt - £15.00

So crucify us, but we couldn't help it. Just when our Sump "Goggles" T-shirt was getting started (and doing very well, thank you), we went ahead and created another. Why? Who knows? Bloody-mindedness? Sexual deviancy? Curiosity? Greed? Malice.? Or just for the hell of it?

Either way, here it is. Fifteen quid's worth of prime 100% pre-shrunk black cotton, conceived, designed and printed in England, and ... well, you don't want to know all that technical stuff. You just want to know if they're a decent bit of clobber and worth your hard earned money, and they are. And they look good too.

It's an original design unavailable anywhere else, and will age nicely. The postage, incidentally, is a flat rate regardless of how many T-shirts you buy.

You can click on the links (above and below) and visit the appropriate page for more info, and then you can buy or not buy. But make sure you read the small print on the shirt...

Great T-shirts are great things. You live with 'em, and suddenly you can't live without 'em. And these are highly addictive. So be warned.

— Del Monte

Antique Bike Day at "mythical

Montlhery"

The French Terrot Club of Ballancourt sur Essonne is 20 years old, and they want to push the boat out a little and invite every classic biker in the world to go along and join in their 2012 celebrations.

To make it just that little bit more interesting, our Gallic comrades are planning to ride en-masse around the "mythical circuit of Linas-Montlhéry (Essonne), in the southern suburbs of Paris".

Hmm.

It happens on Saturday 23rd June 2012, and it's open to anyone riding any classic bike, scooter, tricycle or whatever from year dot to 1965.

We don't know anything about this "mythical circuit", but we've been told it's 3.405 kilometres. The rides will be organised in 20 minute sequences or something.

Anyway, the French usually know how to organise interesting, memorable and stylish events, so check your diaries, and check Sump events. We haven't yet got anything else listed for that day, but we update continually.

Meanwhile, grab a French phrase book and visit the Terrot Club site, s'il vous plait. It'll take some figuring, but all the info you'll need is probably there somewhere.

www.terrot.org

— Del Monte

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H&H Hurricane to sell at Duxford

Admit it. Most of you looking at this Triumph Hurricane think it's kind of silly really. A whacking great 750cc BSA 5-speed triple engine, extended forks, a cartoon exhaust system, buckhorn bars, no centre stand and a fuel tank holding barely enough holy water to carry you 60-80 miles down the road—provided you keep the throttle shut most of the way.

But, as with any old Corvette Stingray, AC Cobra, or Bugatti Veyron, practicality was never the issue. All these big boys' toys were built primarily to impress, and when it comes to impressing the hoi polloi, the Triumph X-75 Hurricane is up there with the best of 'em, and we wouldn't boot one out of the Sump garage if it was knocking and wanted to come in.

This particular Craig Vetter-styled Trident/Rocket Three, to be sold by H&H Auctions, was one of around 1183 built (depending on who you talk to). Originally conceived as a BSA, the bike eventually made its debut as a Triumph. Why? Because BSA had bought the farm, and Triumph was the still-viable other half of the group.

Here are the vital statistics:

Reg Number: LAF692L
Frame Number: TRX75XH02032
Engine Number: TRX75XH02032

It looks like a pretty complete example, and is being sold as genuine (imported in 2008 from Orlando, Florida, USA). But you'll have to do your own rivet counting when you get down to Duxford.

These days, Hurricanes are fetching good money, but there has been a fair amount of price variance over the past couple of years. Much of that is because there are numerous "fakes" around fashioned from Tridents and Rockets and whatever, and that distorts the market. And it's perhaps partly because collectors are still shuffling their pennies from one pocket to another trying to keep pace whilst looking for the next investment trend.

This bike has an estimate of £14,000-£16,000, which we think is about on the money. Look for Lot 93.

If you're interested, pootle along to the Imperial War Museum at Duxford, Cambridgeshire on Thursday 19th April 2012 (and notice how we managed to write this entire news piece without once mentioning the words "choppers" and "Easyrider"?).

UPDATE: This bike didn't sell.

— The Third Man

Footnote: Also of interest (to us) at the Duxford April sale is this 1945 5T Triumph Speed Twin (image immediately above, courtesy of H&H). Very few of these were made during what was the last year of WW2.

In 1940, Triumph had been bombed out of Priory Street, Coventry and quickly relocated to their new home at Meriden. Late in 1945, the firm began production again for the 1946 season.

Essentially, the '45 500cc Speed Twin was the same as the pre-war bikes, the striking difference being the telescopic forks that replaced the girders and gave the bikes a far more elegant look.

This 5T is estimated at just £4500-£5500, which is a pittance when compared to its pre-war antecedents which appear to fetch around £15,000 (see further below). Listed as Lot 54, this bike carries the registration number: 727 UXW. The frame number is TF4339. The engine number is 465T78666. It's a panel-in-the-tank model, still a very usable all-round classic, and can't possibly devalue unless something catastrophic happens on the world stage. We're tempted to put in a bid ourselves.

Meanwhile, check out Sump February 2012 for some more info on four Ariel Square Fours that are also in this sale (Roger Banks Collection).

Overall, this looks like an exciting event with a wide range of bikes to suit most pockets. But have H&H set the bar a little too low in an effort to compete with rivals Bonhams? We'll see on the day.

UPDATE: This bike sold for £6,160 (exclusive of commission, and VAT on the commission).

www.classic-auctions.com

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80th Royal Enfield birthday party

The world's longest running production motorcycle? That's the claim from Royal Enfield importers Watsonian Squire, and we can't think of anything older.

The Bullet name was first introduced in 1932, but the Bullet as most of us know it, dates back "only" to 1948. Which makes the "80th" claim a little disingenuous. Seems to us that the Royal Enfield Bullet is "only" 64 years old, and the modern incarnation bears only superficial resemblance to anything that ever came out of Redditch, Worcestershire.

But let's not quibble. These Indian-built bikes, which first rolled off the production line in 1955, have earned their right to a little celebration. And we certainly don't want to be called party-poopers.

It's the seventh annual open weekend organised by Watsonian Squire at their Cotswold HQ. The fun takes place on 23-24 June 2012 at Blockley, Gloucestershire. Entry is free, and there will be test rides available of the new, fuel-injected models. But bring both parts of your licence and something appropriate to wear.

The details of special guests haven't yet been posted, but when Watsonian and Co tell us, we'll tell you. Meanwhile, you can check out Sump's events calendar (see the button at the top of this page) to find out what else is happening over that weekend. But if you're looking for a relaxed, laid-back, careless kind of day, the Enfield bash will probably fit the bill.

www.royal-enfield.com or call 01386 700907.

— Girl Happy

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Dirt Quake: motorcycle mayhem

We had to check our calendar when we read this one and ensure it wasn't April 1st. Specifically, it was the bit in the press release about chopper racing. So we checked it out a little, and yup, it certainly looks legit.

This event, we hear, comes from the team that organised Rollerburn - which happened back in November 2011 at Newark Showground.

But Dirt Quake is something else, and it kicks off at Brandon Speedway Stadium, home of Coventry Speedway, on Saturday 19th May 2012 and promises vintage flat track racing, run what you brung (flat track), an autojumble, a custom bike show, bands, booze and suchlike. Plus, of course, the aforementioned chopper racing. Tickets are dirt cheap at a tenner.

It starts at 4.30pm which means it'll be running late, so if you're travelling, you might want to factor in some overnight accommodation.

Sponsors include the UK's top helmet manufacturer, Davida, who tipped us off. So we're going to mention them again a couple of times and recommend you visit their website.

Davida.

Davida.

Davida.

What more info? Don't look at us. Visit the links below.

sideburnmagazine.com

www.davida.co.uk

— Sam 7

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Radical new parking tax introduced

Don't panic. It doesn't apply to motorcycles. Yet. But it might still affect you, either directly or indirectly.

What's happened is that Nottingham City Council is the first council in the UK to introduce a Workplace Parking Levy (WPL). In other words, a tax upon workplace parking.

The new law came into force on 1st April 2012 and demand that any employer offering eleven or more parking spaces to their employees will be charged £288 for each vehicle, per annum.

Firms with less than eleven company parking spaces will not be charged, but will still be obliged to register with the authority. Parking spaces for customers will not be charged, and will not need to be registered under the scheme.

The revenue raised will be used exclusively to fund public transport infrastructure in the city. In other words, motorists will be (indirectly) charged so the bus passengers can get a cheaper and easier ride through the metropolis.

This idea isn't new. It's been floating around for some time, but now it's here. The big question is how will employers react? Pass on the cost to employees? Cut the parking availability? Or pay the charge themselves? Or move out of the city? Either way, it's a harsh tax at a time when British firms are struggling to survive, let alone make a profit.

What makes it worse is the level of inefficient bureaucracy that will follow such a scheme. It will have to be policed, after all. There will be fines to be collected. There will be permits that need to be issued. There will be summonses and court appearances. There will be huge IT costs. There will be contradictions, and exceptions, and errors, and inevitable conflict. And they're going to need a lot of new clipboards and a new model army of jobsworths.

Some firms will naturally (and justifiably) do all they can to avoid this tax, perhaps by splitting their businesses into two or more legal entities, or through other creative ruses.

Moreover, you can be sure that WPL will eventually be coming to a town near you. And take note that this isn't really a motoring tax at all. It's a general tax issue, because it will have a knock on effect that will cost us all dearly. Given time, there's little doubt that Notts City Council will shift the goalposts and begin taxing any firms with employee parking spaces. That's how taxation works; register and be damned.

Next April, 2013, the cost will rise to £334 per space. From 2014, Notts is predicting a rise to £364. From April 2015 we're looking at £381.

Is it any wonder that each year hundreds of thousand of Brits are pulling up stakes and emigrating? Amusingly, Notts City Council's motto is: Vivit post funera virtus. Or, virtue survives death.

Well it seems to us that there's nothing virtuous about robbing Peter to pay Paul. But here in Britain, we've had all the guts knocked out of us since Dunkirk, and we probably won't resist too much. There seems no limit on how much crap we're prepared to take these days.

Vive la revolution, etc.

www.nottinghamcity.gov.uk

— Dexxion

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Continental wax cotton jacket from Chequered Flag

They call it the Continental and they tell us it's new. Well we'll believe anyone once.

It's supposed to have lots of new features as requested by customers, but we haven't been told what they are. However, this jacket can be customised with  "a select number of flags by the user" which can be interchanged to "suit geographic location".

The flags show Britain, Wales, Scotland, America, France, Germany, and Italy (can you spot the odd one out there?). Maybe they should have called this jacket the Intercontinental and stuck a Chinese and/or Indian flag in the list. That might have boosted orders. Except that Barbour already uses the Intercontinental name, don't they?

Anyway, the jacket is £169.99, has pockets for body armour, and looks pretty stylish with that funky tartan lining. Pity you can't see that when you put one on. But that would defeat the object. If you want one, check the link below  in the usual way.

www.chequeredflags.co.uk

— Del Monte

Thames water "pride" initiative

There's little enough to be especially proud of in Britain these days (Triumph Motorcycles excepted) so it comes as a welcome boost to our wilting morale to hear that Thames Water wants us all to play dirty and feel self-satisfied about it.

What's it all about? The 2012 drought. That's what. Worldwide, the UK is famous for rain. But it seems that this year there isn't enough of it to splash around, especially in the South East of the country where practically everyone lives. The reservoirs are dry. The rivers are shrinking. The edges of our fields are beginning to curl.

The recent hosepipe ban, we hear, isn't enough. Thames Water

wants us to stop washing our cars too as "a badge of honour", which presumably includes motorcycles. To that end, they've started issuing bumper stickers that dirty motorists can use to advertise the fact that they're soundly on-message.

Moreover, Thames Water wants us to flush the toilet less often, accumulate mounds of washing before cramming it in the Hotpoint, starve the dishwasher until there isn't a piece of clean crockery in the house, and spend a lot less time in the shower, and ideally with a friend.

Thames Water, by the way, is Britain's biggest water firm. It was founded in 1989 and employs around 4,600 people. Every major pipe in their network leaks more than a Downing Street Cabinet briefing, but they're pretty good at stopping-up profits at £208 million for the year ending March 2011. That, actually, represents a big drop (pun intended) from the £453 million recorded the previous year. But it still leaves 'em pretty liquid in a struggling economy.

Why we allow a private firm to handle our drinking, washing, dishwashing and lavatory flushing water is beyond us. True, state run utility companies always waste money. But on the other hand, private outfits always siphon off a lot more than they deserve often leaving their customers high and dry with significantly lower quality products and services.

Still, here at Sump we're doing our bit and are now steadfastly refusing to wash our classic heaps for another year or so, and we're sticking to drinking beer rather than tap water until the emergency is over.

It's a hard life if you don't weaken, huh?

— Dexxion

2012 Festival of 1000 Bikes

From all accounts it looks set to be the biggest and best Festival since its return in 2006. We were there a few seasons back, and it was disappointing—and definitely lacking in the all-important lustre. The VMCC, it seems, were evidently still tweaking their product and looking to get that elusive formula right.

Last year, however, was huge and saw the organisers back on form, notably with the return of Kenny Roberts, and this year all the right fuses are burning.

The Festival will take place on the 6th, 7th and 8th July 2012 at Mallory Park. Expect to enjoy a raucous mix of Historic Grass Track, Pre-65 Trials, Past Masters Machines and Star Riders, autojumble stalls, food, beer and plenty of dust.

As we reported back in February this year, Kevin Schwantz and Randy Mamola will also be in attendance.

Unless you've got somewhere more compelling to be, make a date with your diary. It's got to be a lot more fun than watching a hoard of sweaty, ego-centric, drug-fuelled athletes abusing their bodies at the 2012 Olympic Games—which looks set to gridlock half of London if not half of the South East of England.

www.vmcc.net/1000bikes

— Del Monte

Jim Marshall, OBE: 1923-2012

For many, he was the sound of a generation; a musical generation that included Jimi Hendrix, Pete Townsend, Eric Clapton and Jimmy Page. In fact, it's hard to imagine the 1960s and 1970s without that legendary Marshall crunch that helped put the rock into roll and gave Fender and Gibson guitars a whole new tonal arena to play around in.

If you grew up in that era, the Marshall sound was as familiar as the clatter of Bonneville valve gear, the crack and bark of a loaded Villiers engine, and the unmistakeable twitter of a Gold Star exhaust.

The "Father of Loud", he was born James Charles Marshall on July 29th 1923. From an early age, he suffered from serious bone-disease health problems, but overcame them, learned to tap dance, spent some time in the British Army, and later became a very competent drummer and drumming teacher.

That led to the opening of a shop in West London selling drumming gear, which in turn led to the selling of amplification products. At that time, US firm Fender was the leading manufacturer of such equipment, but Marshall was persuaded to take on the Americans at their own game and, with technical help from engineer Dudley Craven, had soon stripped, analysed and reworked the circuit of the popular Fender Bassman amp.

What followed was a world-class, highly versatile British-made amplifier championed by rapidly rising newcomer James "Jimi" Marshall Hendrix, and now the stuff of legend.

In recent years, Jim Marshall (who in 2003 was awarded an OBE) suffered from various health issues and finally succumbed on April 5th 2012. He was aged 88.

If death means that your influence on the world has ended, we're pleased to report that Jim Marshall is still very much alive.

Rock on.

— Dexxion

New Triumph Bonneville T-shirt

Hey, ain't there enough Triumph Bonneville T-shirts in the world already?  Well actually no, which is why we designed this one.

At Sump, we just love the Bonnie and run two prime examples. We even wrote a book on T140s (it's around here someplace...). So it was only natural that we just had to have a decent shirt to cover our backs when strutting our Bonneville stuff down to the supermarket or post office, or anywhere else for that matter.

What you see above is exactly what you get, and no less than you deserve. Rich black cotton (100%); four usual sizes (S, M , L and XL); red, white and blue colours (brings out the patriot in ya); plenty of nice words (motorcycle and ... well, stuff like that); and a lowly £15 price tag to make your wallet or purse sigh in financial pleasure.

What's that? Too expensive? No problemo. Just log onto eBay, point your mouse in the required direction and buy some of the usual rubbish for a fiver. But if you want the one and only, Made in England, kick-ass, born under a bad sign, effin-and blindin, don't-step-on-my-blue-suede-shows, Sump Bonneville T-shirt (hey, who writes this stuff?), there's only one place to get it. And that's right here.

So follow your nose and take a trip to our Paypal virtual cash register. Make your play, do what's necessary, be thankful for what you've got, and leave the rest to us.

— Dexxion

Frank "Radco" Farrington

has died

Classic motorcycle writer, technical expert, Norton owner, restorer, and famed bike show judge, Frank Farrington has died.

For many years, Frank—aka Radco-— wrote articles for The Classic Motorcycle. He also penned the much sought after handbook The Vintage Motorcyclists' Workshop, copies of which (allegedly) change hands for hundreds of pounds in the right market.

If you've ever been to the Stafford Bike Show, you will be familiar with Frank's easy going and knowledgeable style. As we understand it, Dennis Frost will be trying to fill Frank's shoes.

At the time of writing, we don't have any more information. But we'll update this story as and when possible.

— The Third Man

Think Bike, Think Biker

"a success"

The Department for Transport (DfT) has told us us that their recent Think Bike, Think Biker campaign was seen no less than eight times each by a whopping 92 percent of British drivers.

The TV screening ran from 2nd March 2012 to 24th March 2012. Messages were also broadcast on various radio networks and on petrol station forecourts.

The cost? A relatively small, but very welcome, £1.2 million.

Whilst we applaud any reasonable efforts by the DfT to cut motorcycle road injuries and fatalities, we can't but help suspect that a large proportion of the aforementioned drivers, if later challenged, would no doubt reply with something like: "Sorry, mate. Just didn't see the ad".

Or is that just a little too cynical?  Either way, better not get into the habit of expect them to see us. A better message might well be: Think motorist, Think Moron.

Some drivers, of course, are perfect saints. But you can't spot them at a glance, so better keeping planning for the worst and hoping for the best. It saves a lot of disappointment.

And skin.

— Dexxion

Supercool Sump "Goggles" T-shirt

When it comes to cool T-shirts, they don't come much cooler than this. In fact, the guy who printed them froze off four fingers during production and now thinks he's Scott of the Antarctic.

We've just received the first batch and we can't stop wearing 'em. In the shed, in bed, in the bath and on the street; they look terrific and get a lot of attention. And yes, those "trompe-l'œil" goggles look pretty convincing.  But they're just painted on.

The message reads simply: Sump, with our strapline: All this and the open road. That's it. Simple. To the point. Classy.

Available in black only, we've got small, medium, large and extra large. The price is £15 plus £3.00 postage and packing for the UK, and £4.00 everywhere else.

These are quality shirts, 100% pre-shrunk cotton and printed right here in the UK.

Click the above t-shirt for more info plus a link to PayPal. But stand back and turn up the heating first; it could suddenly get a little cool around here...

— Sam 7

1939 Triumph Speed Twin on eBay

Doesn't seem that long ago that you could pick up one of these for around £7000-£8000. This one's up to £9300 (as of Wednesday 4th April 2012) and there are eighteen bids and the reserve hasn't been met, and still eight days to go.

When it comes to all-round, usable, practical, easy-to-live-with British classics, it's hard to beat Edward Turner's magnum opus. So okay, the brakes ain't up to much by modern standards. And the forks, like most girders, are a little slow and ponderous. But a sorted Speed Twin still has plenty of umph for most classic bike riders, will cruise very happily at 60-65mph with enough on tap for safe overtaking. It will also return 60-80mpg depending on how you crack the throttle.

Normally, you'd expect to find 5T Speed Twins in amaranth red, but Triumph offered them in black too—which we think is actually kind of fetching. In many respects, this is the ultimate British pre-war classic. And they ain't getting any cheaper. We'd buy it in a flash. but we're kind of ... er, embarrassed at the moment, financially speaking, and the garage is full anyway.

Edward Turner, for all his faults, knew exactly what he was doing when, n the late-1930s, he started work on this one—and this bike is as beautiful today as it ever was. Imagine having that as your personal legacy? Takes some beating, huh?

Update: The Speed Twin sold for £15,000.

— The Third Man

The Humber Bridge scraps bike tolls

It's been coming for a while, and now it's arrived. The Humber Bridge has scrapped the £1.50 toll for motorcyclists, and has cut the charge for cars from £3 to ... £1.50.

Why? Because the government has written-off £150 million from the Bridge's £332 million debt. The move was necessary to check the interest payments that were out of control.

The news of the write-off was actually announced last December (2011). But today, the 1st April 2012, was the date scheduled for the changes to come into force, just in time for the new tax year.

The tolls on the bridge (the second most expensive in the UK, incidentally) have long been controversial. Hauliers and various medical lobby groups have for years been campaigning alongside the Scunthorpe Telegraph, the Hull Daily Mail and the Grimsby Telegraph.

Additionally, the bridge is in need of major repair and maintenance work; work that will be easier to commission with almost fifty percent of the debt scrapped.

Over 200 people have died either jumping or falling from the bridge since it was opened in 1981. It used to be the world's longest single span suspension bridge, but currently it's number five on the list.

— Del Monte

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