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Contents Listing - Articles & Features in this issue
Archive photograph
News
Kempton off-road show
Letters
CBG Winter Classic
Jack Thompson Trial
Brough Superior SS100
Norton Dominator
Francis-Barnett Seagull
Greeves Anglian
BSA Spitfire
Subscribe and save
Closer look - Summer 1946
Sunbeam S7/S8 Fellowship interview
Men who mattered - Doug Hele
Triumph unit twin rebuild
Roy Poynting column
Jerry Thurston column
Sketchbook Travels
You Were Asking
Restoration guide - Indian Scout 101
Technical feature - Gearbox development..
Classic components - early JAP engines
Next month
Diary
Classic camera
Article Snippets
When I was a boy, in between drawing tiny pictures of Vincents (lOp piece for wheels was usual) and daydreaming about what I’d love to own when I grew up (more Vincents, SS100 Broughs, cammy Velos, Gold Stars, racy Sunbeams, Rex-Acmes, maybe the usual stuff for a classic enthusiast, although perhaps not a 10-year-old...) the two actual motorcycles I thought I’d conceivably manage to aspire to acquire were a BSA A65 and a Velocette Venom.
In my mind’s eye I could - and still can - picture exactly how each one would look, with central to the mental image of ‘my’ A65, the big, red glass fibre petrol tank. Actually, that was pretty much as far as my daydreaming went, with the petrol tank the key element, with an otherwise standard A65; I wasn’t even fussed about the Spitfire’s twin cabs, for example. The Velo would be black and gold, incidentally, a Thruxton lookalike but with flat bars - I’ve never really got on or felt comfortable with clip-ons.
Anyway, the point of my rambling is that I’ve been fortunate enough to have owned or at least ridden most of my ‘dream machines’ one way or another, the irony being that the two machines I thought I’d be content to have and call ‘mine,’ I’ve never actually owned. So I’ve spent plenty of time looking at the Spitfire we have in this issue, and the daydreams have started again.
But now I know more about what’s what, and which Spitfire was which, it’s maybe not as simple as it seemed, although it’s been fun to find out more. I didn’t think as high as a Spitfire, really, just a standard A65 but with the Spitfire tank being enough for me. Same with the Velo; it wasn’t a Thruxton, I didn’t set the bar that high, just a normal Venom.
Incidentally, there’s most of the key components lurking in my shed to build my original ‘dream’ Velo too, but, as with lots of things, tastes have changed and it’s probably not what I’d want now. Although thinking about it...
On another note - you’ll notice that we've agreed a deal with The Key Collection, who will supply prizes for our Star Letter of the month. These prizes aren’t going to be a can of cleaning spray or a neck tube, but actually good stuff, starting with a pair of handsome boots this month. So get writing!
JAMES ROBINSON
Editor
In my mind’s eye I could - and still can - picture exactly how each one would look, with central to the mental image of ‘my’ A65, the big, red glass fibre petrol tank. Actually, that was pretty much as far as my daydreaming went, with the petrol tank the key element, with an otherwise standard A65; I wasn’t even fussed about the Spitfire’s twin cabs, for example. The Velo would be black and gold, incidentally, a Thruxton lookalike but with flat bars - I’ve never really got on or felt comfortable with clip-ons.
Anyway, the point of my rambling is that I’ve been fortunate enough to have owned or at least ridden most of my ‘dream machines’ one way or another, the irony being that the two machines I thought I’d be content to have and call ‘mine,’ I’ve never actually owned. So I’ve spent plenty of time looking at the Spitfire we have in this issue, and the daydreams have started again.
But now I know more about what’s what, and which Spitfire was which, it’s maybe not as simple as it seemed, although it’s been fun to find out more. I didn’t think as high as a Spitfire, really, just a standard A65 but with the Spitfire tank being enough for me. Same with the Velo; it wasn’t a Thruxton, I didn’t set the bar that high, just a normal Venom.
Incidentally, there’s most of the key components lurking in my shed to build my original ‘dream’ Velo too, but, as with lots of things, tastes have changed and it’s probably not what I’d want now. Although thinking about it...
On another note - you’ll notice that we've agreed a deal with The Key Collection, who will supply prizes for our Star Letter of the month. These prizes aren’t going to be a can of cleaning spray or a neck tube, but actually good stuff, starting with a pair of handsome boots this month. So get writing!
JAMES ROBINSON
Editor
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