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First Motorbike

Rupert said:
Post #43 is interesting in that the bike behind is a Norton 1000 and seems to be a Vincent 1000 Vtwin in a Norton featherbed frame. I think I have read about this combination but this is the first picture I have seen.
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............ Hi Rupert This combination of Norton and Vincent is fairly common I am sure that if you Googled Norvin you will see lots of pics. There is one here in Sale and I may have a pic of it somewhere Cheers Old brummy
 
john70 said:
There was classic car and bike rally in Burnham on Sea where I live last month, and this bike was there, B.S.A. Goldstar, 1961, one owner and its only done 205 mile, genuine. the old chap who owns it lives locally, has 24 old bikes which he takes to shows on a trailer usually, but he actually rode this one to this rally. the only things he has had on it are two new tyres, as the old ones had perished with age.
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Utterly gorgeous! I note that the owner had sold the original registration number, the one dispayed is a DVLA Age-related number.
But, so what?

Ian
 
Rupert said:
Post #43 is interesting in that the bike behind is a Norton 1000 and seems to be a Vincent 1000 Vtwin in a Norton featherbed frame. I think I have read about this combination but this is the first picture I have seen.
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Rupert, close inspection of the picture reveals the Norvin tank transfer, rather than Norton. Old Brummy is right in that it was a popular mongrel, particularly here in the Midlands.
A pal of mine restores motorcycles for the National Motorcycle Museum and owns two Norvins. Damn him!

Ian
 
Hi all, I've just come across this thread and noticed the talk of the Norton/Vincent 'marriage' which, whilst you don't see them every day, are non-the-less a popular machine.However, last summer at a rally in Birkenhead, Wirral, I saw a far rarer machine, a featherbed frame with a Brough Superior engine ! I had never even heard of one of these, never mind seen one, A fine looking motorcycle. Mal.
 
Re: Motorcycles

I do not wish to be a spoilsport but placing emails in full view is gift to spammers.
 
I can remember a yellow Norvin round brum in the late 60s, and a vinton, wonder what the difference is. Cant imagine anybody putting a dominator engine in a Vincent frame.
 
Colin B said:
According to my "bible" (Kelly's 1949 directory):-

Burman & Sons Ltd. manufacturers of horse & barbers' clippers,motor cycle gear boxes & steering gears; Ryland Road,Edgbaston 15 (works)

But by 1968-69:-
Burman & Sons Ltd. manufacturers of horse & barbers' clippers, & steering gears; Wychall Lane,Kings Norton,30



Colin
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Is this why Royal Enfield called their 5-speed 250cc single "The Clipper"?
 
Don't know one motor bike from another but took a picture of Laurence of Arabia's bike; the one from which he was killed. Thopught you might like to see it. Miriam
 
Al Banner said:
Don't know one motor bike from another but took a picture of Laurence of Arabia's bike; the one from which he was killed. Thopught you might like to see it. Miriam
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Hi Miriam,that machine is a Brough Superior,a high-class machine manufactured by,strangley enough,George Brough.It was the engine of one of these machines that I saw installed in a Norton Featherbed frame that I mentioner in an earlier thread.....Mal.
 
col h said:
I can remember a yellow Norvin round brum in the late 60s, and a vinton, wonder what the difference is. Cant imagine anybody putting a dominator engine in a Vincent frame.
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.
They were both Norton Featherbed frames with Vincent V-twin 1,000 cc engine installed. Just a different method of combining 2 manufacturers names. If a Triumph engine was used in the Norton frame, usually a Bonneville 650 it was called a Triton. I've even seen a Norton framed bike with a Reliant engine in it, fully roadworthy.
I once saw a BMW sidecar outfit, with a Volkswagen engine in it. It went very well.
Teffen
 
Hello Mally. Glad you liked the picture. My husband Had a Vallacet 350 CC [overhead camshaft engine] He had it for many years before he went i to cars - his first car was a Ryley sports car saloon. When I first knew him he has a Austin Heley Sprite. We had fun in that car.;)

All this information is from what he tells me - except the last bit. Miriam.
 
Al Banner said:
Hello Mally. Glad you liked the picture. My husband Had a Vallacet 350 CC [overhead camshaft engine] He had it for many years before he went i to cars - his first car was a Ryley sports car saloon. When I first knew him he has a Austin Heley Sprite. We had fun in that car.;)

All this information is from what he tells me - except the last bit. Miriam.
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Hi Miriam,I bet he wishes he still had that bike.'Cammy' Velocettes are very sought after,was it a KTT model?........Mal.
 
Hello Mal. Al can't quite remember if it was a KTT Model, and I didn't know him at that time. He tell me he used it to go to work at Kingsbury Coal Pits - he was a Bevin Boy. I got him a Bevin Demob Badge last year.
Miriam.
 
My first venture into mechancal propulsion was with a Power Pack,this was a 49cc engine that was attached to the frame of a bicycle underneath the saddle,a 2" section was cut out of the rear mudguard and you dropped it down onto the tyre pedalled like mad and hoped it would start,when it was running you controlled the speed via a small lever on the handlebars,top speed about 15mph seemed a lot faster.i travelled from Smethwick to Perry Barr every day for about 12months before my next bike which was an Ariel Leader which i purchased from Kings in Perry Barr.
 
atki71, you have jogged my memory. I seem to recollect that I had one that ran on the rear tyre and I definately had one that ran on the front one. I never went far on mine but they certainly helped when going uphill.
 
I served my time at G.E.C. in Witton during the 60's and can remember going to Erdington Tech on day release. Many of the lads had motor bikes and the staff would allow us to work on them as a class project. In those days in the 350 to 500 cc range the Triumph had the better engine but the Norton had a superior frame-Triumphs tended to be a little soft at the back.I am sure that one lad managed to fit a Triumph engine into a Norton frame. I also worked with a chap who was Chris Vincents (British Champion) side car passenger.
 
No joking, this is me on my first motorbike, I was about 11 or 12 at the time this picture was taken
but that old bike was still around when I was old enough for my first license after I recovered it from
the shed and rebuilt it. the young lady on the pillion was a chum on a visit from Herefordshire.
I passed my test on that old bike before swapping for a BSA 250 C12

Goffy
 
Goffy its a 125cc Bsa Bantam i had one the same and 3 175 Bsa Bantams wish i stiil had them:D

Mossy
 
Hi Mossy, I forgot that bit of information, I had put it in an earlier post. yes it was a BSA Bantam 125cc, a great little bike.
Only thing was, every so often the damn thing cut out and left me cleaning the spark plug at the side of the road.
That bike was an early model with a seperate small square shaped pillion perched above the rear mudguard.
I also remember having to "prime" the carb with a mall button at the side before the bike would start.
 
Goffy the plugs soon got bunged up we used to set them with a Park Packet which was 20 thou the plug size gap

Mossy
 
Re: Dudley Zoo during the war???

rewdco said:
Hi,

In my previous postings, I have been asking for information on the Royal Enfield WD/CO motorcycles equipped with a Burman gearbox. I have reason to believe that they have been used by the National Fire Service. Now I have found that many of these WD/CO/B models (that's their official name) have been despatched from the factory to "Dudley Zoo" during the war! All the other WD/CO motorcycles were despatched to war offices all over the country, but not to a Zoo... Would anybody of you know what these motorcycles could have been used for? ??? ??? ???

REgards,
Jan
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A few years late! I believe they were not used at the zoo but were merely stored in the never completed underground BSA gun barrel factory (under the zoo).
 
Re: My first bike

I am really interested in learning more about the James Cycle Co and the bikes/autobikes/motorcycles they produced. I am direct descentant of Harry James and want to build up a realisitc collection of old stories, photo's and literature of the establishment and the personalities involved. Anything anyone would like to add to this collection would be truly appreciated.
Kind regards
Jenny James
 
Hi Darby,
Did you know my father Fred Mckenzie {mac} he worked for Albion Eng for 49yrs except for Nat.Service. 2yrs in RAF. He was captain of the works football team. He worked on Capstan lathe in production and relocated to the new site in Sampson Rd North and the ended up some years later at the old Aerial bike site in Selly Oak.

Regards Trevor
 
Hi Trevor This message came up on my compter I did not know you Dad at all . I usewd to be in the Boxing at BSA but that was all
 
Hi Old Brummy, the message was not intended for you - it was for DARBY but he worked at the Albion Eng. Thank you for the reply. Regards Trevor.
 
My first bike was a triumph tiger cub( reg. 135 RHA) I bought it from H&L Motors on Dudley Road Handsworth, I had been learning on a BSA Bantam whilst at acu /rac bike training course in Smethwick ( mom had said I could have a bike but had to have lessons) I rode the cub on L plates for a couple of years whilst building a Triumph T110 from the frame up, then put in for my test and the rest is history, with a string of pre unit bonnie tritons , then on to BMW’s and then on to Honda blackbird , and Honda PanEuropeans , have never felt sad enough to drive a car , so will stick to my pans
 
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