Excelsior! The Silver Comet

Excelsior! Fastest arse in the world! This is the 'Silver Comet', prepared by Claude Temple to take the world speed record in 1931, with a supercharged 1000cc ohv JAP JTOR engine. Fast as it looked, it wouldn't break 170mph, so was retired... but what a looker.

The J.A.P. JTOR racing engine with total-loss oiling system but 100hp running on alcohol. [The Vintagent Archive]

For the tech-minded, the engine put out 100hp at 15psi blower pressure, at which point the blower was absorbing 15hp. It drove thru a 2 speed Burman gearbox built to withstand 120hp. Fuel consumption estimated at 5mpg, oil at 50mpg, using four oil pumps to liberally coat the machine for greater speed (oh all right). Paxon flexible saddle! All that power was controlled by a single lever on the handlebar, not a twistgrip throttle. One little finger controlling 100hp.

Joe Wright aboard the Excelsior-JAP Silver Comet resplendent in polished aluminum. [The Vintagent Archive]

You'll note rider Joe Wright on the Paxon flexible saddle has simply taken off his suit coat, and is still wearing the vest from his 3-piece and shiny street brogues.  Wright took this machine to 163mph at Tat, Hungary in 1930, but 170mph was the goal.

 

 

Paul d'Orléans is the founder of TheVintagent.com. He is an author, photographer, filmmaker, museum curator, event organizer, and public speaker. Check out his Author Page, Instagram, and Facebook.

Those Dapper Racers of the 1920s: Vivian Prestwich

Here we have John Vivian Prestwich, heir to the famous J.A.P.(John Alfred Prestwich) engine manufacturing company, looking natty on a 250cc Diamond motorcycle.  Motive power is supplied by his family product, a side-valve J.A.P. engine with a total loss oiling system.  The photograph below was taken Nov 23, 1920, and his little machine recorded 62.39mph at the Brooklands speed bowl, an impressive figure for a little flathead engine of the day, and a new speed  record for the 250cc class. If you click on the photo, you might make out the lovely cursive 'Diamond' script on the tank.  The little bike is pared down to the absolute minimum, with the countershaft sprocket and engine plates drilled within an inch of their life, no fenders, and handlebars dropped almost to the top of the motor.  Note the finned 'fir cone' valve caps on the motor.  The visible levers on the handlebar are for a decompressor and ignition timing advance, and the other 'bar would be the throttle lever.  No other controls are present or required, as there are no gears or brakes on this special record-breaker.  Prestwich's feat would have earned them bragging rights in advertisements for J.A.P. and Diamond, as well as the oil and fuel and tires and chains they used, as was typical of the sponsorship games then as now.  Nothing so crude as stickering up this lovely racer with logos, although Vivian is not above wearing the company logo!

J. Vivian Prestwich cutting a dash aboard a lightweight Diamond motorcycle with a J.A.P. motor in 1920. ['The Vintage Years at Brooklands']
J. Vivian Prestwich wears a typical collegiate 'Oxford' sweater with the family firm's logo and decorative bands knitted in, striped silk tie with a tie bar on his white shirt, jodhpurs, and white buck shoes.  His right shoe is a little soiled (oiled!), and he's wearing a wristwatch, which was rare for racers at the time.  His mustache is chic but would become very unpopular twenty years later. Safety gear for racing had yet to become standardized, and helmets, gloves, leather riding gear, and boots were not universally adopted until later in the 1920's.  Racing in the 'Teens and early '20s was typically a wealthy person's sport, whether on two or four wheels, and posh universities like Oxford and Cambridge had their own motorcycle racing teams.  Young Prestwich was a dashing heir the family fortune, advertising their wares in a manner absolutely acceptable for a young man of note at that time.  Even the Prince of Wales, a motorcyclist himself, sponsored racing motorcycles at Brooklands!

H.M. Walters with his Jappic monoposto cyclecar racer, using a 350cc J.A.P. motor, with Vivian Prestwich standing behind him, in 1925. J.V.P. appears older and wiser in this photo, having taken up a role in the family business, and the associated responsibilities. [The Vintagent Archive]
Just a few years later, we see Vivian Prestwich taking up a different role in the family business, working with racing riders/drivers who used J.A.P. engines.  One notable vehicle is the Jappic cyclecar, built by H.M. Walters as a complete and integrated light racing vehicle, not merely a lashup of convenience.  The steering camber was adjustable, although it used leaf spring suspension up front (but still had modern hollow axles), and the engine was a 350cc OHV racing J.A.P. single-cylinder.  Walters and others (including Kaye Don, Gwenda Steward, and Douglas Hawkes) took many class records with this monoposto racer, starting with Walters' 70.33mph mile record at Brooklands in 1925.  Kaye Don took a 10-mile record at 65mph in 1926, and Gwenda Stewart, using a 495cc J.A.P. motor, bumped the record to 74.48mph at the Montlhéry speed bowl in 1927.

The production version of Prestwich's racer: the 1922 Diamon Model H Super Sports with 250cc JAP sidevalve motor. [The Vintagent Archive]

The Diamond Story

Diamond motorcycles emerged from bicycle manufacturer D.H.&S., based in Sedgley Street, Wolverhampton, England, who produced Diamond Cycles.  They were named for the now-ubiquitous 'diamond' frame design patented by James Starley in 1885 as the Safety bicycle, with its equal-sized wheels.  Diamond Cycles were high-quality bicycles, and sold well.  Beginning in 1908 the company added Diamond motorcycles to their sales list, using Belgian F.N. singles and v-twin engines, and the company was reorganized with new investors as D.F.&M. (Dorset, Ford & Mee) Engineering Co Ltd.  The J.A.P. connection began in 1912 with a 2 3/4hp model (250cc) using a sidevalve motor and two-speed gearbox.   Production paused between 1916-1920, and Vivian Prestwich's ride was something of a reintroduction of the Diamond marque to the marketplace: a splash of much-needed publicity.  Diamond supported racing at Brooklands and at the Isle of Man TT through 1933, when the company ceased motorcycle production.

Things to come! The 1936 'pedestrian electric '(pedelec?) delivery vehicle. [The Vintagent Archive]
In an interesting turn, the owners pivoted to producing sidecars, both for passengers and commercial 'floats', purchasing the Graisley brand from A.J.S. when it went into liquidation at this time (and became part of Associated Motor Cycles - A.M.C. - along with Matchless).  The Graisley business went well, but their biggest success was producing electric utility vehicles, especially a clever electric hand truck that was popular for daily milk delivery rounds.  The Graisley 'Pedestrian Controlled' EV was produced all the way through 1960...60 years before such vehicles would reappear as popular 'last mile' delivery vehicles in urban areas.

The Graisley electric milk float, produced for nearly 30 years. [The Vintagent Archive]

 

Paul d'Orléans is the founder of TheVintagent.com. He is an author, photographer, filmmaker, museum curator, event organizer, and public speaker. Check out his Author Page, Instagram, and Facebook.

Those Dashing Racers of the 1920s: George Brough

This is the grandaddy sartorialist sportsman in all of motorcycling; George Brough.  He's photographed here on his own creation, the famous Brough-Superior derisively called 'Spit & Polish', so-called because of the always-immaculate finish he kept, but George called it 'Old Bill' after the WW1 comic book character.  His racer was the prototype of the upcoming Super Sports 80 (SS80) model he would introduce in 1922, only three years after commencing production in 1919 using J.A.P. '90 Bore' and Motosacoche engines.   Old Bill used a newly-introduced J.A.P. sidevalve racing engine of 980cc, on which George and his development team (Harold 'Oily' Karslake and Ike Webb) worked considerable magic.  The flywheels were lightened down to their outer rims and a single 'spoke' connecting the main bearings to the flywheel rims.  It was the first sidevalve-powered motorcycle to clock 100mph in competition.

George Brough in 1922 aboard his hotshot Brough Superior racer 'Old Bill', the prototype of the SS80 model.  Note the dummy rim brakes, open exhaust, and gorgeous nickel-plated saddle tank. [The Vintagent Archive]
George Brough was famous not only as a manufacturer of fine motorcycles, but as a competition rider second to none in his day. He only retired from racing competition when Old Bill crossed the finish line ahead of its rider at Clipstone, and George spent 8 months in the hospital receiving skin grafts. Prior to that, George had won every single even he entered, a remarkable run of 51 wins.  The SS80, of course, would go on to earn an enviable reputation as a very fast sports-tourer, with more emphasis on the touring side as time went on - the SS80 was produced until 1940, and by then was strictly a fast touring machine, and a lovely one at that.

George Brough aboard one of his original MkI series Brough Superior, with an OHV '90 Bore' J.A.P. V-twin motor. His outfit is fantastic; fur gloves, woolen riding suit, white shawl scarf, and his signature cocked cap of his own design. He made a series of these asymmetric caps over the course of his life. [The Vintagent Archive]
What is George wearing to race Old Bill? The classic collegiate racer getup of the day; an Oxford sweater, with shirt and tie (plus obligatory tiebar), wool jodhpurs, and proper calf-high laceup boots, which were rare at the time. Gloves were rare too, but George sports some lightweight leather items with what looks like the fingertips cut off. As all the controls on the motorcycle were levers (twistgrip throttles were very rare until the late 1920s), fingertip control might have been important to George. He certainly wouldn't have been caught dead with worn-out gloves. He's also wearing a fur-lined aviator's 'helmet', which would have done nothing but keep his head warm. Useful helmets, made of layered fabric held together with varnish ('dope'), and lined with cork and leather, had begun to appear by this date, so George has made his choice of protective headgear.

Paul d'Orléans is the founder of TheVintagent.com. He is an author, photographer, filmmaker, museum curator, event organizer, and public speaker. Check out his Author Page, Instagram, and Facebook.

1967 Velocette Clubman Veeline

The 1967 Velocette Venom Clubman Veeline - what a mouthful for what is an absolutely gorgeous machine.  This one lives in Australia, where I met it in 2004, and it ran as well as it looked. This is just about my favorite configuration of Velocette, barring the MkVIII KTT racer.  The Venom Veeline has a grace of line that even the Velocette Thruxton with a nose-cone fairing lacks. Doug Michenall, owner of Avon Fairings, created the mould for this line of fiberglass wind-cheaters specifically for Velocettes, and it shows. I have seen slimline Nortons use the same item, which looks great as well.

The Velocette Venom Clubman Veeline was a fast thing of beauty, and an excellent factory cafe racer. [Paul d'Orléans]
The Venom was Velocette’s sports model, built from 1956-70 as a development of the MSS 500cc swingarm model of 1953, which was a touring machine.  The history of the Venom goes back to the MSS Scrambler of 1954, which used the hot camshaft profile of the MkVIII KTT production racer, and larger intake port and carburetor.  Given the easy 100mph speed from the Scrambler, it seemed natural to build a sports roadster the same state of tune as the Scrambler, and thus the Venom was born.   It proved an excellent all-around motorcycle, capable of being ridden for hours on end at full throttle without breaking, or shaking itself to pieces.  The ‘square’ Velocette motor of the 1953-71 (86mm x 86mm) is remarkably smooth, and even a 1990s Cycle World comparative road test with several more modern machines dubbed it 'the smoothest bike in the world' when ridden at 65mph.

The proof in the pudding: in 1961 a Velocette Venom became the first motorcycle to average 100mph for 24hours. [The Vintagent Archive]
With an ultra-narrow crankshaft and very large main bearings, the lower end of the Venom is nearly indestructible, even when tuned for racing, as with the later Thruxton production racing version of the Venom (introduced in 1965).  The robust nature of the Venom was proven when an international team met at the Montlhéry speed bowl in France in 1961, including Managing Director Bertie Goodman, journalist Bruce Main-Smith, and French champion Georges Monneret and his son Pierre, with the intention of being the first motorcycle to circulate at 100mph for 24 hours.  The effort was successful, and has yet to be duplicated by any single-cylinder motorcycle, although larger, multi-cylinder bikes have repeated the feat.  What more proof does one need of a sound design?

Yours for only $1200 fresh off the boat in Los Angeles. A print ad from 1967, taken out by Velocette dealer Ernie Pico. [The Vintagent Archive]
Paul d'Orléans is the founder of TheVintagent.com. He is an author, photographer, filmmaker, museum curator, event organizer, and public speaker. Check out his Author Page, Instagram, and Facebook.

Road Signs in Australia

This was the view from the 1965 Velocette Thruxton I borrowed from John Jennings for the Australian Velocette Owners Club Rally in Sydney, October 2005.  The winding road was somewhere in the midst of the Blue Mountains, a couple of hours outside Sydney, as the rally HQ was Richmond NSW.  The VOCA began holding their week-long 'Good Companions' rally in 2003, at Margaret River WA, which I was lucky to attend.  It was indeed an adventure, as Western Australia has a very low population density, with 90% of its population in Perth, and a whole lot of unpopulated bush for 1000 miles around it.  As I tend to ride alone and explore whatever catches my fancy, I went 40km 'off piste' to explore a row of old-growth Kerri trees that had been made into a park.  On finishing my lunch and taking some photos, I found my borrowed (from John Jennings again!) Velocette Clubman had no compression.  I had enough tools with me to determine a valve seat had dropped, which is very unusual, and not repairable by the side of the road.  Lucky for me, a bush mechanic happened along the otherwise deserted dirt road, gave me a ride to a house with a phone, and I was able to call ahead to our evening's rally stop for some roadside assistance.  My reputation as a hotrod preceded me, and I was castigated Aussie-style for breaking the Clubman, but of course I was simply puttering along a dirt road for the prior 40km.  Turned out the valve seats had been recently installed by an expert...but one never forgets the hard looks and hard feelings of the blamers.  John, of course, understood, and we carried on loaning each other our bikes for many years on rallies in the USA and Australia.

Kangaroo and wombat crossing for 15km - imagine! I saw plenty of 'roos, but no wombats, luckily. By all accounts, striking a wombat on a motorcycle is like hitting a large boulder. [Paul d'Oréans]
What's it like to ride in Australia?  There are great twisties in some areas, like the Blue Mountains, and a few parts of WA, but most of it is gently rolling countryside that looks surprisingly like Marin County in California, barring the 'roos and cockatoos!  I attended three rallies in Australia in the early 2000s, and loved the countryside and generally excellent hospitality.

 

Paul d'Orléans is the founder of TheVintagent.com. He is an author, photographer, filmmaker, museum curator, event organizer, and public speaker. Check out his Author Page, Instagram, and Facebook.

C.T. Ashby's Zenith Racer

C.T. Ashby on his Zenith, Brooklands 1925. Zenith motorcycles held more over-100mph lap times at the Brooklands track than any other make, and the competition machines were personally supervised by Freddie Barnes, owner of Zenith. The bike is stripped down to the essentials, with a big pillow strapped to the tank for rider comfort on the notoriously bumpy Brooklands bowl. The crucial components; big 1000cc JAP OHV engine, Harley-Davidson forks with an Andre bump damper, 'square' ML magneto at the front of the engine, two big fishtail mufflers poking beyond the rear wheel, 21" wheels front and rear, and a dummy rim rear brake. Ashby, always a practical rider, is wearing a turtleneck sweater under his collarless leathers, and what looks like a kidney belt to help with the pounding he must have received while doing 110mph. I owned a similar machine - Super Kim - which I'll show in a future post.

C.T. Ashby was a professional racer in an era dominated by amateurs. His racing Zenith is a very special machine. [The Vintagent Archive]

 


Trouble on Highway 1

The consolation of bike trouble on Highway 1 is the view. This is Chris Potempa on an AMCA club ride in 2003, working on his 1934 Indian Chief that was having multiple 'issues' on the day, including shedding the rivets which held on the rear brake drum. That fix took a trip to the hardware store, which luckily was only 10 miles away, and we managed to squeeze some bolts into the rivet holes for the trip home. Chris has since sold the bike!

Chris Potempa with his 1934 Indian Chief, while being sorted on a road run. [Paul d'Orléans]

 

Paul d'Orléans is the founder of TheVintagent.com. He is an author, photographer, filmmaker, museum curator, event organizer, and public speaker. Check out his Author Page, Instagram, and Facebook.

Cec Weatherby at the 1933 Isle of Man Junior TT

This is 'Cec' Weatherby, from Australia, about to start in the 1933 Junior TT, on his '33 Velocette MkIV KTT. Dennis Quinlan sent this from his archives in Sydney; clear photos of rigid-frame Velocette racers in the IOM TT are rare, even though they figured highly in the results. The other makes visible in the photo are Norton and Rudge; Rudge had won its last TT in 1930, and a pushrod-engine machine would never win again. Nortons, though, won this race and many others to come! Visible on top of the scoreboard are the Boy Scouts who updated the rider positions during the race. One 'bobby' (a sergeant by the looks of it) stands by to keep order, and the race team sponsors/owners are wearing their tweed suits and ties. 

Australian rider Cec Weatherby crossed the world to ride in the 1933 Isle of Man Junior TT aboard a new Velocette MkIV KTT, where he placed 15th. [Dennis Quinlan]

Racing riders are wearing baggy leather separates, as one-piece racing suits weren't common until the early 50's; they wear double-breasted button-up short jackets with  high-waisted jodhpurs and suspenders underneath. Some of the riders wore shirts and ties, but Sartorialism was on the wane for motorcyclists by the mid-30's. Brooklands riders kept their neckties until the war, with 'Barry' Baragwanath keeping his detachable collar and bowtie until the end of his career - how charmingly old fashioned.

Another photo of Cec Weatherby, back in his native Australia, at the Australian Junior TT run on the Hartley Vale circuit in NSW. Note he's still using the same MkIV KTT, but he's grown a chic beard! [Dennis Quinlan]

The Velocette MkIV KTT was a production racer produced from 1933-35, and was the first substantial revamp of the KTT line, introduced in 1928.  Many riders did well on the MkIV, winning Grands Prix and TTs around the world, and many Gold Stars at Brooklands for turning 100mph+ laps during a race, which is significant for a 350cc machine [see our article on David Vincent's Gold Star ride on a Velo here].  The KTT line evolved in 1935 with the MkV, which used the same full-cradle frame as the new KSS roadster, and the aluminum cylinder head of the KSS as well: it was not as successful as the MkIV, being heavier and a little slower. The MkVI that followed was a strictly limited production for selected riders, and the subject of much speculation - read our story here.  The KTT MkVII was a brilliant machine with a wholly new all-alloy engine, and a revised frame geometry based on feedback from Stanley Woods.  The MkVIII KTT was the ultimate of the KTT line, built from 1938-50, using the world's first swingarm rear suspension with separate shock units, as we see on most motorcycles to this day.  The MkVIII was the swansong of the KTT line, and the most successful of all. 

 

Paul d'Orléans is the founder of TheVintagent.com. He is an author, photographer, filmmaker, museum curator, event organizer, and public speaker. Check out his Author Page, Instagram, and Facebook.

2006 All-British Ride

The 150 bikes attending the 13th annual All-British Ride ranged in age from Pete Young's 1914 Premier to brand-new Triumph Rocket 3's. The BSA club has taken over management of this event from Don Danmeier, who previously held the event as his annual 50th birthday party: perhaps the joke became untenable after ten years!  Volunteers staffed the sign-up table at our meeting point in downtown Novato. The ride cost $15, which included a back-up vehicle and lunch stop at the ride's end, the Cheese Factory.

Mike Shiro on his lovely Matchless G12 CSR [Paul d'Orleans]
The ride moves quickly out of Novato and into the wonderfully hilly, sinous roads of West Marin county. Some of the roads are very poorly maintained, with bumps and potholes making for a rough ride - but as there is absolutely no automobile traffic in these areas, there is some consolation; plus, it's a beautiful, rural part of our state, worth investigating.

Norton Commando special in flashy yellow paint job, as per the factory production racers. [Paul d'Orleans]
We moved north through town and across the Russian River, then wound our way out to the coast itself via the small town of Occidental. Highway 1 isn't well travelled here, so the bikes can stretch their legs and riders can enjoy 'getting down to it' on the well-banked corners. Hwy 1, at least, is fairly well paved, and some stretches, as along Bolinas Lagoon or just south of Tomales, can be taken very quickly indeed!

1934 Morgan with JAP JTOS engine - one of two Mogs this year. [Paul d'Orleans]
This year's event was light on prewar machines, but this was compensated by several tasty specials from the 1960's. It was a beautiful autumn day, and the bikes sounded great.

Veteran cafe racer Jerry Kaplan looking stylish. [Paul d'Orleans]

 

Paul d'Orléans is the founder of TheVintagent.com. He is an author, photographer, filmmaker, museum curator, event organizer, and public speaker. Check out his Author Page, Instagram, and Facebook.

The Velocette KTT MkI

Regardless of the value of the Cyclone in the previous post, this is my idea of a truly compelling motorcycle: a Velocette KTT Mk1, built between 1928-1931. A real gem of a motorcycle, a landmark competition machine, and still cheaper than a new Harley-Davidson.  Distinguishing features include a 350cc shaft-and-bevel driven OHC motor with ultra-narrow flywheels and lightened crankcases.  Chain driven magneto (a square ML item), a 3-speed gearbox with no kickstarter but a strengthening strap connecting the rear of the crankcase with the footrest lug.  The fuel and oil fillers are on the left, 'TT style', and the Webb front forks have an extra strengthening strut, and an André steering damper, which is totally unnecessary.  The carburetor is an Amac racing item, and the footshift was the first in the industry to have a ratchet return - as seen on every motorcycle today.  The KTT could be tuned for 100+mph, and many riders earned Gold Stars at Brooklands with them, running on alcohol.

The Velocette KTT MkI was the company's 350cc OHC production racer, that proved to be a real winner around the world. As OHC motorcycles were rare at the time, they had a distinct performance advantage over pushrod-powered engines. [The Vintagent Archive]

 

Paul d'Orléans is the founder of TheVintagent.com. He is an author, photographer, filmmaker, museum curator, event organizer, and public speaker. Check out his Author Page, Instagram, and Facebook.

Spaceman Spiff

Craig took this pic on the 49 Mile Ride; I thought it was pretty funny; the Vintagent on his cell phone. Those crazy Spaceman Spiff goggles were purchased from Allyn Scura out of LA (who shows up at the Vintage Fashion Expos), and has a line of vintage-inspired eyewear, as well as a huge supply of nos sunglasses and frames. I buy far too many from him, but I have a lot of very cool sunglasses!

Reminiscent of the Calvin and Hobbes cartoon character, Paul's goggles were purchased from Allyn Scura, an excellent source of vintage eyewear. [Paul d'Orléans]

[Note: Paul is wearing a WW1 leather aviator's jerkin, with wool police jodhpurs, and Italian laceup boots.  He's also wearing a vintage Wakmann watch from the 1960s - a real mashup of vintage fashion.  He no longer wears Davida pudding basin helmets - they are useless!]

 

 

Paul d'Orléans is the founder of TheVintagent.com. He is an author, photographer, filmmaker, museum curator, event organizer, and public speaker. Check out his Author Page, Instagram, and Facebook.

Cyclone - 2006 Legend of the Motorcycle

This week's theme is yellow... actually a pic of one of the most compelling motorcycles ever. This yellow Cyclone (1000cc OHC racer) was displayed at the Legends of the Motorcycle Concours, and was clean enough to eat from. Unfortunately it will never be ridden again, and is basically sculpture at this stage in history. Pound for pound as valuable as a Rodin, and arguably just as beautiful. Comments?

A pre-dawn stroll through the grounds of the Ritz-Carlton hotel before judging the 2006 Legends of the Motorcycle Concourse in Half Moon Bay. It wasn't the first Cyclone I'd seen, but they are very rare, and this one was a beauty. [Paul d'Orleans]

 

Paul d'Orléans is the founder of TheVintagent.com. He is an author, photographer, filmmaker, museum curator, event organizer, and public speaker. Check out his Author Page, Instagram, and Facebook.

49 Mile Ride 2006, Part 2

49-Mile Ride; Kim Young rode The Mule as her '30 KSS Velo is broken, and she didn't flinch at how filthy the KTT has become, even in her white leather jacket. Lower pic shows some of the variety of machinery; tasty purple/white Knucklehead chop with Kawasaki H3 in the background.

Kim Young, now a critical part of The Vintagent team, riding my 1933 Velocette KTT MkIV, 'the Mule'. [Paul d'Orléans]
Always a good mix of machinery; a tasty Harley-Davidson EL Knucklehead custom, another H-D but a WL model, and a Kawasaki H1 triple. [Paul d'Orléans]
Paul d'Orléans is the founder of TheVintagent.com. He is an author, photographer, filmmaker, museum curator, event organizer, and public speaker. Check out his Author Page, Instagram, and Facebook.

2006 49 Mile Ride, Part 1

49 Mile Ride! Almost 160 bikes arrived at Cafe Trieste this morning, of all varieties. Top photo shows a fellow (sorry no name) who rode a Ural with sidecar, who said his outfit was inspired by his great-grandfather. It's hard to see but he's got pinstripe slacks under chaps - something I've never seen before, which gave him a real old-west air. Lower pic shows James and Kumi on their Royal Enfield and Ariel, as always looking stylish.

Pinstripes under chaps? Works for this gent. [Paul d'Orléans]
Stylish with his Harley-Davidson EL Knucklehead, and a Mexican flag beard! [Paul d'Orléans]
Chopper moped of the home-made variety. [Paul d'Orléans]
A fascinating mix of machinery, with a Moto Guzzi Falcone and Ambassador, a post-war Indian Chief, a Yamaha, and a Vespa. [Paul d'Orléans]
Kumi and James Johnson on their vintage machines; A Royal Enfield J and an Ariel Red Hunter. [Paul d'Orléans]

 

Paul d'Orléans is the founder of TheVintagent.com. He is an author, photographer, filmmaker, museum curator, event organizer, and public speaker. Check out his Author Page, Instagram, and Facebook.

2006 49 Mile Ride, Part 4

More pix from the 49 Mile Ride; Jeff Wu on his incredibly oily and scruffy late 1940s-ish BMW - an interesting bike, with an ex-military R75M engine (750cc) in a civilian chassis. As-found! Your scribe on his 1928 Sunbeam TT90, wearing a WW1 pilot's leather jerkin.

Jeff Wu with his post-WW2 BMW hybrid, made of an R75M military engine in an R71 chassis; an interesting mix, and an early postwar hotrod. [Paul d'Orléans]
Your author with his 1928 Sunbeam TT90 with Brooklands tank and 1.375" intake in the cylinder head! It does indeed go like stink. [Paul d'Orléans]
Paul d'Orléans is the founder of TheVintagent.com. He is an author, photographer, filmmaker, museum curator, event organizer, and public speaker. Check out his Author Page, Instagram, and Facebook.

49 Mile Ride; James and Kumi

Kumi and James Johnson outside Cafe Trieste in San Francisco. I do believe James is a Sartorialist. The 49 Mile Ride follows a signed tourist route through San Francisco, sort of, and is organized by Pete Young.

Kumi and James Johnson in 2006 at Café Trieste in San Francisco, looking over the route map for the day ride. [Paul d'Orléans]
Paul d'Orléans is the founder of TheVintagent.com. He is an author, photographer, filmmaker, museum curator, event organizer, and public speaker. Check out his Author Page, Instagram, and Facebook.

Don't Break Down!

This is what REALLY happens at an old motorcycle rally... some unfortunate sod ('Fass Mikey' Vils) has a difficulty with his motorbike, and is anxiously attending his 1915 Harley, while several of his friends stand around and make jokes at his expense, and jibes at his improvised solutions. And he takes it all in stride. Note the doctor's bag on the rack, which was full of tools and spares, which he used! From the Pre-16 Rally, Atascadero, May 2006.

'Fass Mikey' Mike Vils attends the primary drive on his 1915 Harley-Davidson while his friends provide commentary and entertainment. [Paul d'Orléans]
Paul d'Orléans is the founder of TheVintagent.com. He is an author, photographer, filmmaker, museum curator, event organizer, and public speaker. Check out his Author Page, Instagram, and Facebook.

 


Evel Knievel in San Francisco, 1967

Evel Knievel made one of his trademark jumps on a Triumph in San Francisco's Civic Center, November 23, 1967. He's riding a brand-new and mildly customized 'TT' Bonneville. It's widely thought that Evel only jumped using Harleys, but Triumphs were his bike of choice in the mid-60s; lighter and faster!

Evel Knievel jumping a Triumph in San Francisco's Civic Center. [Private Collection]
Evel wheelies his '67 Triumph TT Special in front of San Francisco's Civic Center Plaza. [Fred Kaplan - Getty images]
Paul d'Orléans is the founder of TheVintagent.com. He is an author, photographer, filmmaker, museum curator, event organizer, and public speaker. Check out his Author Page, Instagram, and Facebook.