On A Snowy Day…

I find myself confined to the warmth of my Barge here on the river, so I started looking through eBay at the classic bikes for sale, and came across this…

 “1948 Velocette mac road racer it is up and running and on the road last year original reg with current v5c oily rag original condition mechanically perfect. It has air over oil Dowty forks that hold air fine and work well with double damping 4 speed gear box twin leading shoe front break rear set foot rests and is very fast and reliable. The engine is very special all alloy top end with hairpin valve springs lightend and polished valve gear ported cylinder head TT carb BTH mag special crank conrod/big end and rev counter would be a great sprint or track bike well sorted it is geared up and also has 500 cc chain pitch and sprockets as it will break 350cc pitch chain alloy wheel rims 20” front wheel and 19” rear fitted and in as new condition Avon speed master tyre on the front Dunlop TT 100 tyre on the rear”.

1949 Velocette racer.

Velocette Mac Racer on eBay

 

Two real survivors…

Two totally different bikes, both from the same era, both unrestored survivors, both are bikes I would dearly love to own. And both owned by different people.

First up is a Velocette Venom 500, in clubman trim with period John Tickle accessories.

Velocette Venom 500

John Tickle Brake

Velo clubman

Next up is one of my top dream bikes, a wonderful BMW R69s with Heinrich long range touring tank, owned by a fine old gentleman down in the south east corner of England, what a classy bike.

R69s Earles forks

Craven luggage

Riders view

Perfect, BMW R69s

And as it happens both are for sale right now, and I would love them both.

More Velocette’s…

Last weekend it was Velocette day at the Cherry Tree pub, so a couple of us rode up there on a wet grey miserable day, of course the weather man said it would be dry. All that technology to get it wrong, when all they have to do is look out the window to get it right!

Off to Velo day.

Paul’s BSA Goldstar 250

Hammy Velo’s

500 Thruxton

1959 Velocette MAC 350cc…

I have had most of the bikes I have wanted to own now, but there are still a few left on the list that I have never owned or ridden. One of this is the magnificent Velocette.

I would like any of the main sprung frame models, a MAC, Viper, Venom, and of course the fantastic Thruxton, but most are sadly out of my price range. During the week I called round to see Mick at his shop in Farnborough, and in the shed was an old project Velo MAC 350, so I asked Mick if I could have a look, and hear it run.

Mick, Jim, and the Velocette MAC

Matching numbers, but not totally original

1959 350 MAC

I must admit to being tempted, although I have an old friend returning to my little lockup next week, so we shall see.

At Kempton Again…

The sun shone again for Kempton, and gave us a nice warm spring day, and this of course bought out plenty of people, and this always gives the place a real buzz. I managed to find a couple of small parts for my A65, so with any luck I can get it fired up soon, and maybe on the road for the summer.

Out in the car park was an unusual special, a V-twin Velocette, very nice.

Velocette Special

Lots of other nice bikes about the place too both inside and outside the jumble.

Moto Guzzi

Vincent HRD

 

Berkshire Velocette Day…

One of the smaller events I try to support each year is the local Velocette club meet, at the Cherry Tree pub, in Stoke Row. And once again it never disappointed, with great weather, and some lovely bikes.

And while the Velocette’s looked great, and some of the other attending bikes were also nice, the bike that stood head and shoulders above everything there was a wonderful  old 1920 Indian, in original paint, and thankfully unrestored.

1920 Indian

Patina to die for

Hand clutch conversion

Indian Summer

What a week that was!…

It all started on Wednesday, when I bought an older Moto Guzzi pseudo police bike from north of Oxford, I had to collect it the same night, as I was heading off towards the John Bull Rally on Friday morning, so I had to be in Kent Thursday to be sure of making the ferry Friday morning.

Well, the evening started out sunny, but not long after I hit the A34 south towards home, the heavens opened with heavy rain and snow, all the way home. I could not have been colder or wetter, if I had fallen in the sea! but the bike ran pretty well considering the weather, although I do have a few things to sort out before regular use.

1973 Moto Guzzi Eldorado

Guzzi Police dash

850 Eldo

 

Friday saw a cold wet ride to the John Bull over in Belgium, a great Rally well organised by the Belgian BSAOC. Good camping, good food, this is always a fun rally to attend if you like old bikes, that are ridden to a rally. Already making plans for next years event.

My R60 played up with a starting issue, that I think was the starter relay, I have fitted a new one today, I shall see how things work out over the next few weeks.

Follow link below to pictures…

http://www.kevindean.zenfolio.com/p1025423631/slideshow

Thank you and well done all concerned.

My BMW R60/6 at the John Bull

Mr Ed, and his trusty 650 Thunderbolt

 

On the Monday it was the Fleet Lions Charity Rally, at would you believe, Fleet. And a fine sunny day it was too, pictures in link below..

http://www.kevindean.zenfolio.com/p490263707/slideshow

Triton at the Lions Rally.

Playing Catch-up, Part One…

Velocette Day…

My local branch of the Velo club always put on a good open day, and this year was no exception. It was a perfect English summer day, following on from what was the fiercest thunder storm I can remember overnight. It was like a war zone here in Berkshire, I have truely never heard thunder so loud and for so long, and that was followed by monsoon style rain, amazing stuff.

But today was fine, the air was clear, the humidity had gone, and England was the green and pleasant land we all know and love. So I called up a couple of friends from the Triumph club, and we hit the lanes, crossed the Thames, hit some more lanes, and headed for the Cherry Tree, a lovely little country pub, and today it was playing host to the Thames Valley Velocette Owners club…

I like the Velocette owners club, they are happy to see you turn up, no matter what you ride, they just appreciate the fact that you bother to come and support them. Other clubs could learn from this openess,and hospitality, in these days of diminishing membership numbers.

A great day out. well done all concerned.

Now don’t forget when looking at the pictures that every bike you see, was ridden to the pub, to trailer queens here, no way, no sir. Ride the things, that is what they were built for.

Norton with Brooklands Can

Velocette

Classic Class

Velocette’s in the Garden

If you would like to see some more from the day out, then follow this link to a slideshow of the rest of the pictures I took…

http://kevindean.zenfolio.com/p483915067/slideshow

Velocette Day…

I have a lot to catch up on this week, summer is here and so much going on.

J.A.P Oil Cap

It ain’t easy being green.

 

I Passed By Jack’s…

Wednesday just gone I got a call to a job just along the road from Jack’s, so I called in for a tea, and to grab a couple of pictures.

Velocette

Norton Engine

Now tell me this, what poseses a man to make his bike this shiney, it just shows what a long winter will do to a person, he must have gone stir crazy! But fear not, I promise you this, my Norton will never be this clean, good grief I would be embarrassed to go out on a bike like that

More pictures here…  http://kevindean.zenfolio.com/p221103632