New Feature- Vintage Literature Review

I have written periodically about the classic motorcycle hobby and how to get started in it. Like many, my initial forays were filled with anxiety. I was an absolute novice with minimal mechanical experience. I knew that a great deal of satisfaction would come from the self-sufficiency of maintaining the motorcycle myself. The real question was where to find the technical know-how to be a true motorcyclist in the traditional sense. Certainly, there are plenty of internet sites, blogs, and forums where one can ask questions about how to fix discreet issues. What many of these sites can't do is impart the techniques and methods our forebears used in taking care of their motorcycles. Depending on where you live, you may be fortunate enough to have a mentor. In my case, vintage British motorcycles are rare enough much less someone with the knowledge to work on them. The solution was to develop my own knowledge base through period technical literature. I have for a while collected a combination of period books and articles with the aim at building a technical library and historical library that would allow me to repair my motorcycle and enjoy the context in which it existed.

Part of motivation of this blog is to share my knowledge with others. To that end, I have decided to start a new feature in which I review vintage literature to help guide others in building their own libraries. My desire is that readers will get involved and hopefully share their literature as well. Stay tuned for the first review.

Curiouser and curiouser.......

If you haven't read the previous post you will be lost. I thought I had made a cool discovery of the obituary of Artie Bell in the "The Story of the Ulster" by G. S. Davison that I had received in the mail yesterday. After writing the previous blog post, I started reading passages in the book looking for references to Artie Bell. Fascinating literature to be sure. I was once again surprised by two more clippings located behind the dustjacket! The most notable of the two was an  article dated February 21, 1968 in the Sunday Express detailing the crash that ended Artie Bell's career as a motorcycle racer.

Amongst the fantastic details of the accident which involved the great Geoff Duke, the article indicates that Bell broke every bone in his body but was nearly killed during surgery by being transfused the wrong blood type because he was not wearing the customary medical information necklace. Bell's play-by-play description of the incident is a scene from the movies. Thanks to the dealer from whom most of my collection has been puchased for this little treasure.

Do you believe in ghosts?

In previous posts I have mentioned the importance of history to the classic motorcyclist. That nostalgia is both a necessity in order to keep your bike on the road and a pleasurable aspect of the hobby to know the context in which the bike came into being. I owe a great deal to my Norton Model 7 in terms of expanding my horizons. I have made new friends, learned new skills, and have started collecting period literature. My little collection is very narrow and is centered around the author G. S. Davison. (I'll write more about him in a later post).

Yesterday, I received the second to last book required to complete the whole collection of first editions. I was leafing through the book while watching Formula 1 qualifying at the Belgian Grand Prix held on the Spa-Francorchamps race track when this piece of paper fell out. It turns out it was the obituary for Artie Bell who had passed away August 11th 1972.

Artie Bell is an Irish motorcycle roadracer known for his short, brilliant, yet tragic racing career. He stunned the racing community by placing 2nd at the 1947 Isle of Man TT and winning the 1947 Ulster Grand Prix aboard his personal second-hand 500cc Norton. His association with Norton is an important one. During his brief career as a Norton team rider, Artie Bell worked with fellow Irishman Rex McCandless to develop the famous Norton Featherbed Frame. Artie Bell's racing career ended July 2nd 1950 in a terrible accident at the Spa-Francorchamps race track! His Grand Prix career only lasted one month.

Artie Bell at speed

Another Acquisition

I'll admit that I collect just about anything related to Norton Model 7's  and more specifically the plunger framed models. I collect pictures, articles, even references some of which have already appeared in the blog. But one to of the pleasures of classic motorcycling that I' ve recently found myself relishing is the history. It's fun to put one's bike in context and I have to thank without a doubt Paul d'Orleans of The Vintagent as well as Pete and Kim Young of Occhio Lungo. Pete put out a bibliography for the vintage and classic motorcyclist that has literally turned my motorcycling life around. The books he suggested really have helped my development as a mechanic. An interesting side-effect has been my exposure to period motorcycle literature which has turned out to be very enjoyable in addition to being practical.

I recently acquired an autographed, first edition of Racing though the Century by Geoff S. Davison. A great book about the early years of motorcycle racing and part of a series of several editions on the subject. I love the Manx Norton artwork on the dustcover. Classic stuff. The autograph is a bonus too. Unfortunately there is not much information on Mr. Davison.

A thorough internet search didn't yield much except for one small personal connection. It turns out that Geoff Davison won the 250cc class at the 1923 French Motorcycle Grand Prix held in Tours, France. Tours is the town that I grew up in as a child and that my Grandmother aged 101 still resides. She or my Grandfather, a keen motorcyclist in his own right, could quite possibly have seen him roaring throught the streets of one of the most beautiful cities in France. If anyone has information or pictures of Geoff S. Davison please send them so that a biography can be built on Wikipedia.

Happy New Year's Day

It's a new year and the slate is clean. For everybody, New Year's Day provides the opportunity to commit or even re-commit to something or perhaps someone. I have owned my motorcycle for three years and notwithstanding my military duties including a deployment to Iraq it has been difficult giving the Model 7 the real attention it deserves. Bernal Osborne aptly described my affliction in his foreword to the second edition of  Modern Motorcycle Maintenance  as "needless tinkering-a pastime at which, I may say, motorcyclists are notoriously adept." I'll digress just a second and say that this is a fabulous little book especially for the novice mechanic. Now, it's time to get in it gear and address the issues.

A definitely good read

Like I mentioned earlier, I consider myself a vintage motorcyclist and so the goal of the "restoration" is a return to its original state rather than a concourse level attempt. Let's look at mine on top versus the standard I would like to achieve on the bottom.

  

The most obvious work to be done is on the tinwork. The front mudguard is incorrect but while I was in Iraq I was able to source a an original one with the front stand. I just need to find or fab some front stays. The rear mudguard was most likely involved in some incident because a good portion has been bobbed off so I'll have to figure something out there. Other things that need attention include:

1. Chrome tank completion

2. Proper silencers

3. Respoke wheels

4. Skim brake drums and new brake pads

5. Complete Carb Rebuild

6. Centre stand completion

7. Rocker oil feed line replacement

8. Sidestand rebuild

9. Complete revision of clutch

10. New seat cover

11. Rechrome a few parts

So there's the list and now it's time to get to work (after I finish my New Year's Bloody Mary). I wish you the very best for the New Year and the best of luck with your projects.