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REPLICA 1930s MOTORCYCLE
DEALER OPENS
Well known Midlands personality Professor
Carl Chinn officially opened the row of shops known as the
“Oldbury Buildings”
at the Black Country Museum recently.
Grant aid from the BMCT has enabled the museum to rebuild a
row of shops that
were dismantled brick by brick from their
original site in Oldbury, and to model one of them on the
premises of A Hartill,
a well known Black Country cycle
and motorcycle dealer. Our photo shows Peter Wellings and John
Kidson outside the shop.
BAUGHAN ARRIVES AT
STROUD
It was a great day for all concerned as the BMCT
handed over the Baughan (see article below) to The Museum in
the Park
on long term loan. John Kidson rode the machine
down to the museum accompanied by Edwin Hayward, son of Bill
Hayward,
who rode the bike to so many of its successes
between 1929 and 1946. Also in attendance was Graham Stagg,
the former
owner and restorer of the bike, and himself the
son of a former Baughan employee, and two further generations
of the Hayward
family. By special arrangement the sole
surviving Baughan light car came along for the day, and
representatives of the media
were also present. Peter
Wellings handed the Baughan over to David Mullin, Collections
Officer of the museum, and presented
a £500 donation to the
Midlands Air Ambulance. The presentation of the bike coincided
with the launch of a new book by
Ken Chandler - “Harry
Baughan, a Life in Motorcycling” is published by Walls Quarry
Press and available from them or the
museum
shop.
 
Peter Wellings hands over the bike to
David Mullin
Three generations of the Hayward
family
 
Peter Wellings
presents a £500 cheque to Annie Newell of
the John Kidson rides into the
museum - David Mullin holds the door
Midlands Air
Ambulance. Graham Stagg looks on.
A UNIQUE VELOCETTE IS
DONATED TO THE BMCT
The Velocette LE Owners Club
has very kindly donated an interesting Mark 1 LE to the Trust.
The club commissioned the bike from member John Rose last
year, and what makes it special is the fact that the engine,
transmission and front fork have been sectioned to expose the
working parts.
Cleverly, John has rigged it so that the
engine can be turned over using the starting handle that was
fitted to early examples of the model. The bike was finished
in time to take centre stage on the LE club stand at this
year’s Classic MotorCycle Show at Stafford, and in due course
will form part of the BMCT display at the London Motorcycle
Museum.
  
EX WORKS BAUGHAN TRIAL
COMBINATION
Maker: Baughan Motors
Lower
Street
Stroud
Gloucestershire
Our
latest acquisition is a Baughan trials sidecar outfit that was
banned from competitions in the nineteen thirties because it
was too good!
Harry P
Baughan was born in 1895 and formed his engineering company in
Harrow after seeing service in World War 1. He was a keen
trials rider, and in 1919 built his own design of cyclecar, an
example of which he used in the MCC long distance events. In
1921 he moved the company to Stroud, where he expanded into
motorcycle production, using mainly JAP and Blackburne
engines. Two of Baughan’s employees, Bill Hayward and Chris
Stagg, were keen motorcyclists, using Baughan machines with
great success in trials and scrambles. Two other keen Baughan
workers were the Grant-Heelas twins who helped out with
passengering duties. Baughan himself became heavily involved
as an organiser of the ISDT when it was held in Wales and held
various posts in
the ACU Western Centre until shortly before his death in 1968.
By 1936 Baughan Motors had ceased motorcycle manufacturing and
changed their name from to Baughan Engineers. In common with
many similar companies they became involved with war work, and
became suppliers to Gloucester Aircraft, supplying components
for the Whittle jet engined Gloster Meteor. Ridden by Bill
Hayward, usually with one or other of the Grant-Heelas sisters
in the chair, the works Baughan outfit employed a two wheel
drive system to great effect, winning trials everywhere it
went. Several clubs barredducationalthe combination from their
events, although the ACU stopped short of banning two wheel
drive outright. Built in 1929, the machine features a
Blackburne 500cc ohv TT engine with a Sturmey Archer foot
change gearbox. Lubrication is taken care of by a Pilgrim pump
with an auxiliary hand pump enabling a couple of extra shots
of oil to be delivered to the engine before it was worked
hard. A dog clutch operated by a large lever gave the
passenger the ability to engage or disengage the drive to the
sidecar wheel, essential at the end of a section where the
lack of a differential meant the outfit would plough straight
on when not being ridden on soft ground. The two wheel drive
system was patented by Baughan, and a machine was evaluated by
the government for possible military use. By the time the
order for 2,000 machines came through, however, Baughan has
stopped making motorcycles, so the technology was passed on to
Norton, who went on to make over 4,000 Big Four two wheel
drive outfits for the military. Last used in 1946 when it won
the Cotswold Cup Trial, the works outfit lay around the
factory for many years and was eventually acquired in a sorry
state by Graham Stagg, son of Chris. The sidecar was in
particularly poor condition and needed a new wooden frame
making to take the original aluminium panels. The finished
restoration was the subject of an article by Bob Currie in The
Classic Motorcycle in 1984. Following acquisition by the BMCT,
this important and historic motorcycle will take pride of
place in a new display at the Stroud Museum at Stratford
Court, Stroud.
1923 CARFIELD JOINS THE
COLLECTION
Maker:
The Carfield Motor Co.
Windmill Lane
Cape
Hill
Smethwick
 Our
latest addition to the BMCT collection is this very rare
Carfield ‘Baby’ from 1923. Carfield were founded by Messrs.
Carter and Fielding in 1919 to meet the demand for personal
transport that grew after World War I. They offered machines
with Villiers, Blackburne, JAP and Coventry Victor engines in
frames of their own design until the demise of the firm in
1928.Carfield were perhaps best known for the model seen here,
the Baby. It has a 1.5 hp Wolverhampton made Villiers engine
and was announced in 1923. The new model quickly made a name
for itself when Brian Carter rode one to a Bronze Medal in the
Scottish Six Days Trial of that year, covering over 1,000
miles in arduous conditions with few problems.This model is
fitted with the optional kick starter which added £2 to the
list price of £30 when new. A two speed Albion gearbox is
fitted, and you will notice there is no front brake - the
handlebar lever and rear brake pedal both operate on the belt
rim. It is thought there are only three examples of the
‘Baby’ left in existence. This one is a good little runner
having been restored in the early nineties and can now be seen
at the Black Country Museum, Dudley.
Mk 1 EMC SPLIT
SINGLE
The
BMCT’s latest acquisition is a 1947 EMC Mk I made by Josef
Ehrlich, an Austrian who fled the Nazis in 1937 and settled in
England. He brought with him a split single two stroke
motorcycle engine, based on a Puch design, and in 1947 set up
a factory in Park Royal, north-west  London, to produce the EMC motorcycle using this
engine. The first models (ours in number 16 off the production
line) had 350cc engines housed in an up-to-date duplex cradle
frame with Dowty Oleomatic front forks and Vincent
double-sided front brakes. Unfortunately it was priced high at
£191, some £12 more than a Velocette KSS would have cost at
the same time. Consequently not many were sold on the home
market, but a respectable number went for export. The model
was developed gradually over the next few years, gaining
plunger rear suspension in 1948, and a 500cc version was
planned, but the venture failed and the factory closed in
1953. Ehrlich himself went on to work for de Havilland, but
was always working on motorcycle engines, and in 1961 produced
a 125cc racing machine on which the likes of Mike Hailwood had
some success. By 1968 he was into racing cars, producing
Formula 2 and 3 cars for some of the up and coming drivers of
the day like Jody Scheckter. Joe went back to bikes in the
early eighties, designing a very fast 250cc machine that went
on to four TT victories in the hands of Graeme McGregor, Con
Law and Eddie Laycock. In his latter years Ehrlich devoted his
time to developing the so-called “Environmental Engine”
concept which used variable capacity and compression ratio
technology to reduce emissions and fuel consumption. Dr Josef
Ehrlich died in 2003, aged 89 and never saw the engine
developed commercially. Our photo shows the EMC being
delivered to Bill Crosby of the London Motorcycle Museum where
it will be on display.
BMCT SPONSOR THE 2009
COVENTRY TO BRIGHTON RUN
 The Mayor of Coventry flags away the first
competitor in the 2009 Coventry to Brighton Run, watched by
BMCT Chairman Peter Wellings and Ian Alexander of the VMCC’s
Warwickshire Section, organisers of the event. This year the
BMCT were pleased to be associated with the run, providing
tea, coffees and bacon baps to all the participants, some 75
in all. The Coventry to Brighton Run is open to any pre-1980
machines, with a special class for those bikes manufactured
before 1931. Leaving Coventry early on Saturday morning, the
riders follow a suggested route to Brighton, where they rest
overnight before awards are presented on Sunday prior to the
ride home.
COVENTRY’S MOTORCYCLE
HERITAGE
A new
book  documenting the many motorcycle manufacturers to
have been based in Coventry has been published with the help
of grant aid from the BMCT. The 160 page study is the work of
Damien Kimberley of Coventry Transport Museum, and he gives
profiles of the makers who contributed to making Coventry the
most important centre of motorcycle manufacturing in Britain.
The famous names like Triumph, Humber and Coventry Eagle are
there, along with not-so-famous ones like Draper, Wartnaby and
Clarendon. This well-researched book contains historical
information on the personalities involved in the industry as
well as the machines they produced, and thus is an excellent
reference for those who wish to find out about what was a
golden age for engineering in Coventry and the surrounding
area.”Coventry’s Motorcycle Heritage” by Damien Kimberley is
published by The History Press and costs £14.99. Copies can be
ordered direct from the publisher here;
http://www.thehistorypress.co.uk/tabid/7613/Default.aspx?tabid=7613&ProductID=4056
or from Coventry Transport Museum. Our photo shows Damien with
BMCT Chairman Peter Wellings at the official launch of the
book in the Motorcycle Gallery at Coventry.
BRIAN STANLEY
WOOD
We
are saddened by the news that Brian Wood, past chairman and
trustee of the
BMCT, passed away on 5th January 2009 after a long
illness. Brian grew up in Birmingham and became involved with
motorcycles at the age of 15 when he managed to talk a
neighbour into giving him a decrepit old New Imperial that was
being used as a hen perch. Brian stripped and rebuilt this
bike to running order and so began a lifetime’s fascination
for motorcycles which he managed to fit in with a varied
career as an engineer, nurse, heating contractor and nursing
teacher. His collection grew over the years until ill health
forced him to scale back, but he refused to give up his
beloved military bikes and rode them until well into his
seventies. Many’s the time Brian would prolong BMCT board
meetings by drifting off the subject into some long but
fascinating motorbike related anecdote – those meetings
somehow aren’t the same without him. Brian was 77 years old,
and leaves his wife Barbara, a son and daughter, and four
grandchildren, to whom we extend our heartfelt condolences.
R.I.P. Brian.
AJS RESTORATION
COMPLETE 05/01/2009
The
restoration of our 1931 AJS S3 is now complete, and the bike
will go on display at the Black Country Museum in early
February. The work has been carried out in record time by
Sammy Miller Motorcycles to their usual high standard, and
both Sammy Miller himself and his chief restorer Bob Stanley
have pronounced themselves thrilled with the result. The S3 is
one of the rarest of AJS models, since it was only made for
one season before the Wolverhampton company went out of
business and was bought out by Matchless to form the new AMC
concern. The 500cc v-twin is of unusual transverse
configuration, and drive to the rear wheel is by shaft from
the crank to the
gearbox, where
it is turned 90 degrees to provide a chain final drive. The
design brief was to make the bike a quiet, reliable tourer,
and power output was modest at around 20 bhp. The bike has
many nice touches, like the concealed brake and clutch cables
and a tank-mounted dashboard which includes the speedo,
ammeter and a clock. The restoration of this bike has been
made possible thanks to generous donations from family,
friends and colleagues in memory of the late Stewart Barlow, a
British bike enthusiast who sadly lost his life last year. The
S3 can be seen in action later this year at the VMCC Festival
of 1,000 Bikes at Mallory Park.
SAMMY MILLER GETS THE M.B.E.
01/01/2009
The BMCT congratulates Sammy Miller
on being awarded the MBE in the New Year’s Honours List. Sammy
was given the richly deserved award for his services to
motorcycle heritage.
75 NOT OUT!
12/11/2008
Museum proprietor and ace restorer
Sammy Miller celebrated his 75th birthday yesterday. His wife
Rosemary presented him with a surprise gift - three young
Alpacas to join the existing ones kept at the museum. Our
picture shows Sam and the others getting acquainted with the
new arrivals.
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APPEAL FOR HELP
06/11/2008
The Black Country Living Museum are
embarking on a new phase of development helped by grant aid
from the BMCT. The plan is to re-create a 1930’s
motorcycle shop in the Old Birmingham Road area of the museum,
and they are appealing for help from anyone who may have any
old photographs or memories of motorcycle dealers of the era.
If you can help, please contact David Helm at The Black
Country Museum, Tipton Road, Dudley DY1 4SQ or e-mail him at
davsar160494@aol.com.
Any material will of course be safely returned to you.
HONOUR FOR BMCT
MEMBER 15/09/2008
Former BMCT Trustee Barry
Littlewood was at Buckingham Palace with his wife Carol
recently to receive the MBE he was awarded in the New Year’s
Honours list for services to preservation and heritage. As
Chief Executive of Coventry Transport Museum for many years,
Barry was responsible for the major re-development that saw
Coventry emerge as one of the leading transport museums in the
world. We offer Barry our sincere congratulations and show him
below receiving his medal from Her Majesty and proudly
displaying it after the investiture. Well done
Barry!
 
BMCT MEMBERS TAKE PART IN PAGEANT OF
POWER 09/08/2008
An
event that crept under most peoples’ radar in August was the
Pageant of Power at Cholmondley Castle near Malpas, Cheshire.
This was similar in concept to the Goodwood Festival of Speed,
with cars and bikes tackling a tight and twisty 1.5 mile
sprint course in the grounds of the castle. We were
represented by our members John Kidson (ex-Arthur Wheeler 350
Moto Guzzi), Ivan Rhodes (Big Port AJS & Velocette KTT)
and Sammy Miller (Brough Superior & 500 Husqvarna v-twin
GP bike). Although blighted by the weather the event -
sponsored by Bentley - went off well, and will hopefully find
a place in the calendar in future years. The photos below show
(l to r) a somewhat soggy Messrs. Kidson, Rhodes and Miller.
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TRIUMPHANT
DEBUT FOR BANDIT AT 1,000 BIKES 12/07/2008
The
Trust’s recently acquired Triumph Bandit made its track debut
at the VMCC’s Festival of 1,000 Bikes at Mallory Park on the
weekend of July 12th to 13th. Andy
Bufton rode the bike and reports that it ran very well, giving
smooth power all the way up to an indicated 8,000 rpm, at
which point he backed off in deference to the irreplaceable
mechanicals in the engine. Nevertheless, the bike was a match
for many bigger machines, being easily able to keep up with
Velocette Venoms, Triumph 500 twins and the like. Handling was
absolutely spot on, the shallow steering head angle giving
great stability, especially around the long Gerards Bend. The
light weight of the bike made it easy to flick through the
Lake Esses, and the brakes coped well with the big stop at
Shaw’s Hairpin. Thankfully none of the chicanes that have
ruined the track in recent years were used, and it was back to
the good old Mallory Park of the golden era. The bumper crowds
were treated to a great weekend of demonstrations, and on
Sunday the highlight was undoubtedly Agostini and Cooper
re-enacting their titanic battle in the 1971 Race of the Year
on MV and BSA respectively. Back in the Avenue of Clubs our
Bandit attracted a huge amount of interest on the BMCT stand,
being certainly one of the rarest bikes on show. Andy is see
below in front of the BMCT stand, and on track on the
Sunday.
 
1914
COVENTRY CHALLENGE 14/06/2008
These
machines were constructed from 1903 by a cycle manufacturer
who fitted various engines into his heavy duty bicycle frames
and completed them with bought in parts, including engines
from Minerva and Fafnir, and later JAP and Precision. In 1914
they  produced this model, with a Villiers engine of
269cc, and after the war they returned to JAP power with
singles and V-twins.
This Villiers-engined example was
supplied new to a firm of auctioneers in West Wales and used
by them until a car was purchased in 1923. The bike was left
in storage until 1997, when it was acquired and restored by
Roy Poynting of Salisbury, and it has seen regular use since,
including the completion of ten Pioneer Runs without incident.
It has been acquired by the British Motorcycle Charitable
Trust for exhibition at Coventry Transport Museum, in the city
in which it was built 94 years ago. The photo shows the
machine outside the Sammy Miller museum on Sunday
15th June, where it was an attraction at Sam’s
annual Biker’s Day.
STOLEN
MOTORCYCLES
On 6th April 2008 nineteen motorcycles
were stolen from the Gloucestershire home of Honorary
BMCT Member, Mrs Joyce Cobbing.
Naturally the
Gloucestershire Police would be grateful for any information
that could lead to their recovery.
The missing machines
are:
1904 Humber, 4hp. V-twin.
Reg. AB2607
1911 Hobart, Ladies Model,
300cc, Reg. AR2945
1913 Humber, Reg. EH554.
1913 Douglas, Ladies
Model. Reg. KT1703
1915 Brough, Ladies Model,
in line Flat twin, 500cc Reg. AT2885
1915 Douglas. Reg. CT4454.
1921 Moto Gillet, 350cc.
No Reg.
1921 Alcyon Acynette,
90cc. Ladies Model. No Reg, Wheels missing
1923 Zenith-JAP, 680cc.
V-Twin. Fuel tank missing. Reg. KH4513
1924 Calthorpe. Reg.
PH569.
1925 Velocette,EL, Ladies
Model, 3-Speed. Reg BC8928
1926 Moto Guzzi, 500cc.
Reg. KC9654
1926 Rex Acme-Jap, V-Twin.
Reg. RT2251
1927 New Imperial, 250cc.
Reg. KH4513
1927 BSA, 350cc. OHV. Reg.
NX8103
1932 Moto Guzzi, 175cc,
Model P, No Reg.
1932 Frera, 225cc. No
Reg
1946 Ariel Red
Hunter.1946, 500cc, Reg UAS872.
1950 Moto Guzzi,
Motoleggera.48cc, No Reg.
Anyone with information
should contact Gloucestershire Constabulary, details
below-
Detective Constable Emma
Skeen
Tel- (01452) 335200
e-mail emma.skeen@gloucestershire.police.uk
Triumph Bandit 28/02/2008
We are please to announce that the
Trust has acquired a rare, running example of the bike that
contributed to the downfall of the once mighty BSA Group in
the Seventies - a Triumph Bandit. This was a 350cc ohc
parallel twin, designed by Edward Turner in an effort to stem
the tide of Japanese bikes flooding the home and (importantly)
US markets. The bike had a  troubled gestation and, as it was about
to be launched in 1972, the BSA Group was forced into an
arranged marriage with Norton as its debts spiraled past the
£20m mark. The bike never made it into production, but a
handful of prototypes survived, along with some of its
stablemate, the BSA Fury. However, most had been built for
display at bike shows and were simply mock-ups with empty
crankcases, which makes our fully functioning bike all the
rarer. Our Bandit will take pride of place in the Coventry
Transport Museum, and will be used occasionally for
demonstrations. You will be able to see and hear it on track
at the VMCC’s Festival of 1,000 Bikes at Mallory Park in July
(see below), where it will be ridden by James Robinson, editor
of “The Classic MotorCycle” magazine. For the inside story on
the Bandit and Fury, see Bert Hopwood’s excellent book
“Whatever Happened to the British Motorcycle
Industry?”
2008
Festival of 1,000 Bikes 31/08/2007
After
another record breaking event in 2007 the VMCC’s Festival of
1,000 Bikes returns to Mallory Park on the weekend of
12/13th July 2008. As in previous years the event
gives enthusiasts the opportunity to ride their own machines
in multiple track sessions over the weekend. Catering for all
classes of machines from the earliest Veterans through to
machines of the Superbike era, this is an ideal opportunity to
be part of a great, wide ranging event. The more relaxed noise
restrictions on the Sunday will provide the opportunity for
owners to exercise their racing machinery. No doubt among them
will be BMCT members like Ivan Rhodes and Sammy Miller, to
name but two. We will be in attendance with our usual display
up near the hairpin in the Avenue of Clubs, so come along and
say hello. For more details contact the VMCC on 01283 540557
or log on to www.vmcc.net
Colin Seeley is BMCT’s
latest member 20/03/2007
 Well known
motorcycling personality Colin Seeley stopped by at the BMCT
stand at the recent Race Retro exhibition and decided to
become a member. Colin will be remembered as a World
Championship sidecar contender in the Sixties and also as the
man who bought out the remains of the AMC racing department,
thereby ensuring the continuing availability of spares and
complete engines for AJS 7R, Matchless G50 and Manx Norton.
Many of these engines were housed in Colin’s own Seeley frames
and went on to great success in the international arena.
Colin’s book “Racer - and the Rest” is out now and is a very
good read. In our photo Colin (right) is handing his
membership application to Andy Bufton (left) on the BMCT stand
at Stoneleigh.
New Trustees join the
board
29/01/2007
Following the retirement of Barry
Littlewood, the Trust has strengthened the board of trustees
with the election of two new members – John Handley and Steve
Bagley (right). John has spent his working life in the world
of commerce and brings with him great experience and many
contacts who will be of great value to the Trust in the coming
years. Steve will already be known to some of our members as
the Principal Curator of Coventry Transport Museum. He has a
great depth of knowledge on historic transport related issues
and will be able to advise the board from the museum curator’s
perspective.
Latest Acquisitions
15/12/2006
In recent months the Trust  has been active in securing the future of
some interesting machines. A 1934 Scott Flying Squirrel has
joined our collection, and is remarkable in having been owned
by the same family since 1934! Currently undergoing
recommissioning, this bike will be seen out and about at the
events the BMCT are attending this year. See List of Events
for details. Also on its way is a Beardmore Precision (left),
an interesting Kings Norton made machine with a 500 cc side
valve JAP engine, unit construction, integral fuel tank and
leaf-sprung front forks. One of only two five hundreds known
to survive, this bike will be part of the display at the
ever-improving London Motorcycle Museum at Greenford,
Middlesex.
Off-road vehicles
registration bill
The Motor Cycle Industry
Association (MCI) is calling on you to lobby your MPs to vote
against a new Off-Road Vehicles (registrations) Private
Members Bill, that the industry believes will have limited or
no effect on the mini-bike problem, but may well have
implications for collectors and museums alike. The Bill is
recommending a compulsory, retrospective, registration scheme
of all off road motor vehicles as a method of dealing with the
misuse of mini-bikes. The Motor Cycle Industry is advising
that there are already twelve laws in place that can be used
to deal with the issue of misuse of mini bikes and an extra
law, which would not come into place for many months would
have a limited effect on the illegal users who already would
have little regard for the current law. The scheme will be
costly to implement and legitimate sport will become even more
expensive and bureaucratic. The number plates could be
dangerous, as they would be likely to break and could be
hazardous when racing or competing. We suggest logging on to
the Motorcycle Action Group website http://www.mag-uk.org/ and
following the links to campaigns. There you will find the
contact information you need.
Charity Helps Save Isle of
Man Heritage
The British Motorcycle
Charitable Trust has stepped in with a grant of £20,000 to
help prevent some important racing machines being lost to the
Isle of Man following the break up of the Murray’s Motorcycle
Museum collection. At its height the museum, situated at The
Bungalow on the TT circuit, was home to over 120 machines, the
majority of which have now found private owners after being
widely advertised on the internet.
The BMCT has assisted Manx
National Heritage in purchasing three of the machines  with significant history. They are the
ex- C H Hopwood 1921 Levis which finished 8th in the
Lightweight TT of 1922, the ex- Bertie Rowell 500cc Model 8
Sunbeam, and Albert Moule’s 1935 350cc Model M Manx Norton.
The bikes will go on display at the Manx Museum, along with
some interesting items of memorabilia.
John Kidson, former TT winner and
Chairman of the BMCT said “We are delighted to be able to
assist Manx Heritage in this way, especially with the 100th
Anniversary of the TT Races coming up next year, and hope that
this will in some small way help to make up for the loss of
one of the island’s main attractions for enthusiasts.”
The British Motorcycle Charitable
Trust was originally set up in 1979 to fund the National
Motorcycle Museum near Solihull, but became a separate entity
in 1995 when the museum passed into private ownership.
Nowadays the charity promotes the restoration, preservation
and exhibition of rare and unusual British motorcycles for the
enjoyment and education of enthusiasts all over the
country.
Membership of the trust costs just
£20 annually and allows free access to the country’s leading
motor and motorcycle museums. For more details go to the
website,
www.bmct.org, or write for a leaflet from
BMCT, Holly Cottage, Bishampton, Pershore, Worcestershire
WR10 2NH.
Coventry’s New
Look
On Monday 10th April Councillor Ram
Lahka, Lord Mayor of Coventry, unveiled the latest phase in
the redevelopment of the Coventry Transport Museum. An
impressive archway over Millennium Place leads to the entrance
of the new look building, with the exhibits being reached
through a splendid foyer with a well stocked souvenir
shop.
Inside the museum the  displays are as impressive as ever, but
the crowning glory is the new Motorcycle Gallery. This was
part funded with a £162,000 grant from the BMCT, and the
result is a stunning tribute to the men and machines that make
up our motorcycle engineering heritage.
Prominent in the display are some
Coventry made bikes owned by the BMCT, and the 500cc Triumph
Tiger 100 made famous by Ted Simon in his book “Jupiter’s
Travels”. The full list of machines is below, and we would
urge you to take the first opportunity to see what must now be
one of the most interesting and imaginative exhibitions
anywhere in the country. All credit, then, to Barry
Littlewood, Steve Bagley and the team for a job very well
done.
Motorcycles on display:
1924 Hazlewood
Combination 1935
Norton Combination
1926 Rex
Acme
1923 Triumph Ricardo
1928 Rudge Dirt
Track
1959 Norton Café Racer
1964 Royal Enfield
250 1968
Lambretta
1960 Triumph
Tigress
1962 BSA Star
1939 Francis
Barnett 1918
BSA Model K
1921 Humber 4.5hp
1927
Norton
1918 Lea
Francis 1937
Sunbeam
1947
Velocette 1950
BSA Bantam
1962 Francis Barnett
Fulmar 1928
Omega
1974 Triumph Tiger
100
1927 Rudge Combination
2000
Overlander
1958 Manx Norton
1926 Triumph Model
P
2006 Triumph
1936 Coventry Eagle
M4
1920 Invicta
1923
R&H 1924
Rudge
1932 Francis Barnett
Kestrel 1936
Francis Barnett Stag
1937 Rudge Sports
Special
1939 Triumph Speed Twin
The following can also be
seen in an “open storage” area to one side of the main
display:
1911 Rudge1921
Kenilworth 1936
Coventry Eagle
1911 BSA1963
James
1919 Triumph Baby
1962 Francis Barnett
Plover
1920 Stafford Pup
1958 Francis Barnett
Falcon
1963 Caldicott
1961
Greeves
1958 James
1948 Royal
Enfield 1925
Humber
1926
AJS
1927 Francis Barnett
1934 Francis Barnett
Cruiser 1952
BSA C11
1923 Wee
McGregor
1924 McKenzie
1965 Triumph
Tina 1947
Francis Barnett
1920
Hobart
1962 BSA C15
1925
Rover
1924 Lea Francis
1940 Rudge
Autocycle
1938 Rudge
1955 BSA Gold Flash
Two rare Humbers
repatriated
We are pleased to have secured two
extremely rare Humber machines that had  previously been exported overseas. The 1921 4.5 hp
is an interesting flat twin of 601 cc, known at the time as
the “Silent Humber” because of its smooth and silent running.
Only five of these bikes are known to exist, and ours is the
only one currently on display to the public. It can be seen in
the new Motorcycle Gallery at Coventry (see above).
Our other find is a lovely  1929 Humber 350 ohc, a fine sporting middleweight
which has spent most of its life in Australia. Again, only
four other examples are known to the VMCC, and we are looking
forward to exhibiting it at events around the country as soon
as we have finished its restoration.
New Acquisition Hazlewood
Combination
Our latest acquisition a rare
motorcycle combination from Coventry based
Hazlewood. Further information will follow about
this and details about where we intend to get it onto
public display. More info in the "Machines"
section.
NEW ACQUISITIONS
....Prevented from going overseas
Two new acquisitions
made by the trust were made especially satisfying by knowledge
that other prospective buyers were overseas collectors.
A recent Bonhams Auction produced not one but two fine
machines. A 1918 Lea Francis, a make that we have
wanted to see represented in the collection for some little
while, and a 1920 Diamond 2.5hp made in Wolverhampton.
Both
Motorcycles are in fine order and will shortly be going on
public display at one of the museum collections. Photos
on the Machines section.
Press Release MUSEUM WINS
MOTORCYCLE GRANT
The
British Motorcycle Charitable Trust, which exists to preserve
and promote the heritage of Britain’s motorcycle industry, has
awarded a development grant of £162,500 to Coventry’s
Transport Museum. The grant has been awarded to both support
the further development of the museum’s motorcycle gallery,
and to undertake a two year research project into Coventry’s
motorcycling history.
Brian Wood, chairman of the BMCT said
“We are delighted to support the ongoing expansion at
Coventry, particularly as recent developments have done so
much to secure its recognition as one of the world’s leading
transport museums. This is the first grant of this scale we
have awarded for a museum development and we will be
monitoring its success very closely to ensure that our
country’s motorcycle history is recorded and promoted in a
manner that educates the public, does justice to the industry,
and opens up the way for grants to other organisations in the
future”.
Joe
Elliott, chairman of the museum’s board is delighted with this
grant and said “We are most grateful to the British Motorcycle
Charitable Trust for this most generous grant as it allows us
to ensure that our motorcycle history is portrayed in the best
way for the benefit and education of all our users. The award
reflects the growing and widening reputation of the museum and
we are tremendously grateful to the Trust for their active and
ongoing support”.
The
new motorcycle gallery is planned to be finished in early 2006
and the research contract will produce a history of the city’s
motorcycle manufacturers by the Spring of 2007. Steve Bagley,
the Curator of the museum, would be interested to hear from
anyone with relevant knowledge who would like to get involved
in the development of the gallery. He can be contacted at the
museum on 024 7683 2425.
Membership of the British
Motorcycle Charitable Trust is open to anyone with an interest
in British motorcycles. An annual subscription helps to find,
preserve and exhibit significant motorcycles from our
admirable engineering past for future generations. Go to their
web site at www.bmct.org for more details or email
info@bmct.org
Ends…
Further information available
from:
* British Motorcycle Charitable Trust – Andy
Bufton
* Coventry Transport Museum – Lucy Rumble
NEW RACING GALLERY OPENS AT
SAMMY MILLER MUSEUM
The BMCT were represented
by Andy Bufton at a glittering ceremony to officially open the
new extension to the acclaimed Sammy Miller Museum.
A whole host of stars of
yesteryear were in attendance to see John Surtees MBE declare
the new collection open. Among the many former champions
present were Tommy Robb, Stuart Graham, Gordon Jackson, and
Roy Peplow, to name but a few.
Sammy himself introduced a televised
tribute from Murray Walker (in Malaysia for the F1
car GP) before handing over to “Big John” for the
unveiling. After the ceremony there was a demonstration of
some of the unique bikes from the museum, topped off by Sammy
giving an exuberant wheelie display on his trials
Ariel.
The
quality of the exhibits in the new Racing Gallery is simply
astonishing. Sammy admits that his favourite of all is the
“Mona Lisa” of motorcycles, the 1939 V4 AJS racer.
Visit soon*, and see the autographs of
those who attended the opening on the petrol pumps just inside
the entrance.
Congratulations to you Sammy, from all at
the BMCT.
*
Remember Trust Members are entitled to Complimentary Family
Admission, so don't forget your membership card
THE KIRBY BSA RESTORATION
PROJECT
We have recently been made aware of another
major restoration project concerning a rare peice of
motorcycling history almost lost in the NMM fire :-
the ex-
Terry Vinicombe Kirby BSA outfit which won the 1968 750cc
sidecar TT at the Isle of Man and was Tom
Kirby's only TT winner.
This painstaking restoration
is being undertaken by a committed team led by Roland Pickett
and is documented on a website www.picketts.ukonline.co.uk with many fascinating
photographs.
VINTAGE MOTOR CYCLE
CLUB
The factory records for large numbers of
British bikes have been transferred to the Vintage Motor Cycle
Club library from the Science Museum in London. The archive
consists of eight hundred production and despatch record books
identifying production, competition and works machinery. For
more details contact the VMCC on library@vmcc.net.
BANSHEE
The BMCT’s
recently restored Banshee was one of the victorious Sammy
Miller Museum team machines at this year’s Graham Walker Run.
Sammy’s team made a clean sweep of the awards aided by the
Banshee which ran faultlessly throughout. See it at Sammy’s
museum, along with other BMCT bikes, including the interesting
Whippet motor scooter which has just emerged from the
workshops after a nine month restoration.
SPREADING THE WORD
....
The board of trustees at the BMCT are
currently involved in projects which we hope will increase the
profile and scope of our work in motorcycle preservation and
exhibition.
We hope to bring you more news in the very
near future.
The
email address for general enquiries is info@bmct.org. Please let us
have any news, views or stories and information which will
help us in our aim to locate and preserve rare British
bikes.
Current at October
08 | 
