Speedway bikes at the Haynes Museum

A nice little bonus of turning up at the start of this year's Exeter Trial was that it is flagged off from the Haynes Museum, just a 45 minute drive up the road. Museum staff kindly open up the Museum during the night of the Trial and it is a rare privilege and experience to be able to have a mooch around in near solitude in the wee hours.

The cherry on top for me was that I was able to use my British Motorcycle Charitable Trust card to gain free entry. The Haynes Museum has a very impressive collection of four wheelers plus the British Motor Scooter Exhibition, The Forshaw Speedway Collection and a modestly sized but interesting motorcycle hall.

Below a selection of choice machinery from the Forshaw Collection......

Centrepiece display of the Forshaw Collection.

1929 Dirt Track BSA.

Super rare Crocker speedway machine.

Just like the Crocker v-twin road machines the speedway bike
carries a signature cast aluminium petrol tank.

Dirt track Norton.

And Indian's speedway offering.

1929 Dirt Track Velocette

c1929 500cc Wallis Blackburne.

1930 500cc Wallis JAP.

1929 498cc Scott.

1931 500cc Husqvarna.

1939 Moseley JAP 497cc. Alex Moseley was West Ham Speedway's
workshop superintendent and a noted designer of speedway
frames. This particular frame was designed in 1939 and made
from aircraft T45 tubing, it saved roughly 60lbs in weight over
comparable traditional frames.

The frame of the Moseley is copper plated. For style rather
thank practicality one imagines. Unusual but it does make it
look rather like te frame has been fabricated from plumbing
off cuts rather than T45!

Just one more view of the Moseley. Very special.