Bargain Vincent books

 There's a couple of Vincent books being sold at discount prices at the moment. Both are excellent books and stone cold bargains.

First up is Philippe Guyony's 'Vincent Motorcycles. The Untold Story since 1946' published by Veloce. Originally selling at £100 this is now being offered at various stores for around the £30 mark. It's a magnificent 400 page tome, well researched, written and sumptuously illustrated. Given that it is the untold story the main focus is on developments outside of the factory and mainly after the Stevenage doors were closed. Egli Vincents naturally feature heavily, but there is also a lot of good information on the various attempts at marque revival, racing machines and the characters involved with the brand. I could be churlish and say that the untold story is of water scooters, cyclemotors, lawnmowers and imported NSUs but I guess that is another untold story altogether and one that very few want to read about! Really though, a fantastic book: if you like old bike books and have anything more than a passing interest in Vincents then snap this up quick time whilst it is available at a bargain price.

Next and equally interesting is 'Vincent Motorcycles Since 1955. The Continuing Story' by David Wright and published by the Vincent Owners' Club. Though similar in title to Philippe's book the content is quite different and concentrates on ownership and developments of the Vincent since the factory closed. Some really nice tales of Vincent owners and enthusiasts and their high mileage and modified bikes are told. The 336 pages of Vincent goodness are now available on ebay through the Club for a mere £16. I'm not sure of the original retail of David Wright's book but at the price it is being offered at it would be rude not to buy at least one copy, it's a must for Vincent owners, potential owners and dreamers alike. 

Book review - The Hub of the Universe

Books written by enthusiasts with real in-depth knowledge of and passion for their subjects along with an ability to write flowing English in a readable manner are always a joy to read. The Hub of the Universe is certainly one such book.

Tony Hadland is the author and Alan Clarke is the Sun Race Sturmey Archer official Historian. The book is a second edition update of one published over thirty years ago, is hardback and 358 pages long. The stated aim of the book is as a company, product and technical history of the Sturmey brand. Obviously the three speed hubs figure most heavily though all other products are included as well.

Coverage of bicycle products is the main focus though there is a brief chapter that is motorcycle related. Perhaps the subject becomes a bit too vast when covering motorcycle range as comprehensively as the bicycle one. Certainly the interest in the bicycle products is vastly larger and SA motorcycle gearboxes and engines are a rather more esoteric topic. Maybe there is scope for a full tome on the SA motorcycle products - anyone out there who will step up to the mark?

Large format, professionally printed and well researched cycle history books are rather few and far between making The Hub of the Universe something to cherish even more. Definitely one for the shelves of any vintage bicycle enthusiast. The usual retail is around £45 but it is available at a discount to Veteran Cycle Club members giving yet another reason to join.

Motor Cycle Reminiscences by Ixion

Canon Basil Henry Davies or to use his pen name 'Ixion' was the forefather of our great hobby and to the best of my knowledge Motor Cycle Reminiscences is the first work on the subject.

Ixion began riding in 1898 and wrote for The Motor Cycle magazine from 1900 to 1961, an amazing feat in itself. Being involved in the sport from so early on and presumably of a nostalgic frame of mind Ixion was perhaps the first to write on the subject of pioneer motor cycles in the pages of The Motor Cycle. For those that are interested to know more there is a biography of the fellow entitled 'The Fiery Wheel (The First Motor Cycle Diarist), The Life and Times of Canon Basil H Davies BA' by Dave Masters.

Motor Cycle Reminiscences was published in 1920 and is well worth seeking out for enthusiasts of pioneer machines. There have been reprints of the work across the years, though unfortunately all editions are somewhat scarce. There was also a second volume, 'Further Motorcycle Reminiscences' which alas I do not have in my library.

Lawrie Bond Microcar Man - book review

Lawrie Bond is somewhat of a hero of mine and creator of many intriguing vehicles. The interest stems from my first car being a Bond Equipe - a fibreglass re-bodied Triumph Herald. Lawrie Bond was a designer of minimalist motoring, an enthusiast for fibreglass bodywork and the genius behind some of postwar Britain's most interesting vehicles.

The book Lawrie Bond Microcar Man passed me by until I came across it in a local remainder book store. Probably because it is marketed as a car book and titled as such. The content however is as much two and three wheeler biased as it is towards the four wheelers. A pity really that the book was aimed squarely at the car enthusiast market as this limits its sales and deprives a potential audience of the joys of Lawrie Bond's creations.

In his work Nick Wotherspoon has concentrated on the story of Bond's creations rather than the man himself and has not set out to write a biography. The book is what it is and achieves its aims excellently, though there is surely an interesting story to tell about Bond's life. Following his maverick engineering activities he ended up running a pub in Yorkshire.

For those that are not familiar, Lawrie Bond was the man behind the Bond Minicar: a three-wheeled microcar of admirable austerity - the early models were billed as the world's cheapest car and featured 122cc Villiers engines, aluminium bodies and wire and bobbin steering. The engine sat on a dolly with the single front wheel and reverse could be achieved by turning the motor unit through 180 degrees, thus the Bond could drive as quickly in reverse as forwards. Other Bond creations were the Bond Minibike (a riveted aluminium monocoque scooter lacking suspension but with ballon tyres), the BAC Lilliput (a miniturised motorcycle) and the Oscar Scooter. There was also the somewhat more conventional Bond Scooter that featured fetching fibreglass bodywork and the sporting Berkley range of three and four wheelers. Finally who could forget the magnificent Bond Bug!

The book is of 307 pages, well written, researched and illustrated. A very comprehensive work on Bond's creations and well worth purchasing. If the work had come to my attention before I saw it in a bargain basement bookshop I should have been happy to pay the £30 list price and considered it good value.

New book - Royal Enfield The Early History 1851 to 1930

 

Definitely a vested interest here as the author is my father so don't expect an unbiased review. Not that I have to embellish this book's qualities - it is a lavishly illustrated, thoroughly researched and readable definitive history of Royal Enfield from the company's origins to the end of the vintage era.

The book is hard-backed, 280 pages and in a large 28 x 21cm format. Bicycles, tricycles and four wheelers are covered as well as motorcycles and the book should be of interest to anyone into Royal Enfields or vintage and veteran motorcycles in general.

Needless to say the book would make a great Christmas present.....

Available direct from the author via eBay:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Royal-Enfield-the-Early-Years-From-1851-to-1930-new-motorcycle-book/254397903401?hash=item3b3b4bf229:g:iLYAAOSwq~BdsDUO

 or from the following vendors:

Gordon May's Royal Enfield Books

Hitchcocks's Motorcycles

Vintage Motorcycle Books (Holland)

Motorcycles and Motorcycling in the USSR from 1939 book review

Back in my university days I was a student of Russian politics. I can't say that I've gone on to practically apply those studies very much but it has left within me an enduring interest in all things Russian. That interest combined with a fascination for motorcycling obscurities meant that I had to get a copy of Colin Turbett's book just as soon as it came out.

As far as I know this is the only work of any size about Soviet motorcycles in the English language; thankfully Colin has made a decent job of it and done the subject justice. There are 128 pages and the various brands and models are covered along with social history, politics, sport and The Great Patriotic War. What I found particularly delightful is the number of period photos reproduced in the book, these are images seldom seen over here. Equally the reproductions of Soviet advertising material.

What makes the book a success is certainly the background and social aspects more than the machines themselves. The Soviet Union was not noted for the great choice it gave it citizens in either personal freedoms or consumer products and motorcycling was no different. There are only a handful of manufacturers and due to the nature of the planned economy products were of a standard design and many of these were developments of overseas designs such as the DKW R125 and BMW R71.

Colin's interest, expertise and passion for the subject matter is very much in evidence in the book and it comes strongly recommended. Even to those with just a passing interest in Soviet history and motorcycling the book is an enlightening and entertaining read.

Sidecar Scrapbook book review

OK, first of all a disclosure: I've been friends with the author, Matt Little, for years. I just run this site for fun and am not looking in to passing on negativity in any way, if I don't like something very much I won't feature it. So, take it for granted that any review of a book or product I make is essentially an endorsement for something that's come my way (usually paid for, occasionally given - in this case given so thanks very much Matt!). Yes then, no qualms at all about recommending Matt's book...

The Sidecar Scrapbook's strapline is 'all about building, fixing and riding sidecar outfits' and as such it is a guide to attaching, setting up, riding and maintaining a sidecar rig. The format is softback A4 and is 64 pages long. Information within should be of use to both beginners and experienced sidecarists alike. I've set up three outfits myself, the first was terrible, the second a fair bit better eventually after much tweaking and the third was finally pretty good. Having this book on hand would certainly have made the job a lot easier from the start.

If you've got an interest in sidecars the Sidecar Scrapbook fits a niche not covered elsewhere and should be a welcome addition to your library. If you are a novice to the world of sidecaring consider this book essential reading.

Contact Matt directly by email if you would like a copy: 

matt_little1978@yahoo.co.uk. The price is £9.95

Book Review - Wall of Death Carnival Motordromes

Wall of Death Motordromes is a US publication and is 127 pages of reproduced images on the subject. The book is available in the UK at a slightly expensive import price from Amazon and I am sure several other more worthy booksellers.

Carnival Motordromes is in a series of publications called 'Images of America' from Arcadia Publishing and it does what it says; there is not a great deal of text, just a collection of evocative images of Walls of Death, not just in the States but worldwide.

An interesting book to have if you are interested in the subject, there are a few images you may have seen before but a lot of them were fresh to me. The text is brief and leaves you wanting to find out more about the characters involved, it's a rich subject. One word of warning if buying on line there is a short postcard album of the same title that is easy to get confused with the full book.

Book review - The Tricycle Book 1895 - 1902 Part One

Frankly this is as much of a recommendation as a review. I just recently got my sticky paws on a copy of Michael Edwards' The Tricycle Book and as it says on the tin the book covers early motor tricycles from 1895 to 1902. This volume covers French machines only, there is a part two on the way on the subject of British made tricycles and I am genuinely very much looking forward to it.

The Tricycle Book definitely falls into the 'boutique book' category and at GBP 80 plus postage represents a considerable outlay. However once you have seen it you have to concede that it is good value, the format is large and the publication luxurious. There are 364 pages and the book is very well illustrated mainly with photographs from the period. That Mr Edwards has managed to find quite so many early images is admirable, the majority of which are completely fresh to my eyes (and I do spend possibly more time than is healthy nerding away at early vehicles...)

Without doubt an authoritative work on the subject The Tricycle Book should be of interest to anyone with more than a passing interest in early vehicles. The righteous thing to do as ever is to buy direct from the author: https://surrendenpress.co.uk/the-tricycle-book-1896-1902

Travels with a Royal Enfield Ensign

A F Tschiffely with his Royal Enfield Ensign, companion for
his four month tour of Spain in 1951.

Many thanks to Ken Bryant who got in touch and introduced me to Round and About Spain. I'm a bit of a buff of old motorcycling travelogues but had never heard of this one before. Aimé Félix Tschiffely (1895 - 1954) was a Swiss borne Argentine adventurer, academic and writer. Tschiffely led a colourful life and wrote extensively of his travels; a well known and successful writer during his career (thirties, forties and fifties), most of his adventures were on horseback.

For his journey around Spain Tschiffely however chose a different mode of transport, a Royal Enfield Ensign. The motorcycle is very much secondary to the story and it is all about the culture and people rather than the bike for Tschiffely certainly was not a motorcyclist at heart.

The brand of Royal Enfield is apparently not mentioned in the book, one wonders why? Perhaps it is that the conveyance is so secondary to the story that it does not warrant a mention. In the introduction Tschiffely describes visiting the Royal Enfield factory to choose a machine, reading between the lines he was perhaps given a bike or at least bought it on very favourable terms.

From the introduction.....

____________

I was thinking over the matter of transportation when a friend of mine came to my rescue with a brilliant idea. "Use a motor-cycle," said the one who, years ago, had been a famous motor-cycle racer, and who continues to ride one of these machines for amusement. Enthusiastically he continued, "I have a friend who is a director of a famous firm of motor-cycle manufacturers. I shall write to him at once, and I'm sure he will be delighted to supply you with a really reliable machine."

And so it came about that a few days later I found myself in a huge factory in the Midlands, where one of the directors showed me their latest model of a powerful machine. One look at it was sufficient for me. "Heavens," I exclaimed, "I don't want to travel jet-propelled! Please remember that I haven't ridden a motor-cycle for some thirty years." Catching sight of a much smaller - and therefore less speedy looking - machine and pointing at it I said, "That's the type of mount I fancy."

Round and About Spain front cover.

Round and About Spain rear cover.

American Excelsior - The History of Excelsior, Super X and Henderson Motorcycles book review

A trend has been developing of late for high end 'super books' aimed at marque enthusiasts. As a way to go in publishing your material it makes good sense - there's a limited number of enthusiasts out there for a particular niche marque of motorcycle who will buy each book on the subject. Add to this a number of folks, like myself, who are interested in the history of motorcycling in general who like to buy a selection of new quality publications on the subject of choice. This means that if you publish a book on, say, Cleveland motorcycles you have a market out there of two to three thousand folks. Most of these people will buy a book on the subject if it is well written regardless of if it is a soft cover selling for £15 or a lavish tome costing perhaps ten times that. What we are coming to is that the subject matter of vintage motorcycles ain't going to make you rich as an author and you ain't gonna shift high volumes. It's not a mass market. You might as well put your efforts in to a book of high quality and be satisfied with a small print run but make your costs back on it being a limited edition rather than do a print run of 5000, sell 2000 at low price in the first six months and then struggle for the next couple of years to shift the rest.

American Excelsior - The History of Excelsior, Super X and Henderson Motorcycles fits into the category of 'super book' perfectly. This is one lavish tome. It's big, very big. The format is big and it runs to 422 pages. The price is also big - 149 Euros but, you know what, it is justified. The book is a joy to behold and a joy to own. When it arrives it is evident that this is a book that is worth 149 Euros even if you have had to pay for it on a brexitised Pounds Sterling exchange rate.

Content of American Excelsior tHoESXaHM is very image heavy. There are a large number of reproduced brochures, period adverts and some very excellent period images. That's not to say that it skimps on the story of the machines in question, it's just that there are a lot of pages and, though the text is spread out, overall it does add up to a substantial content.

A few years ago now I used to go regularly to London on business, a small treat for myself was to call in to Foyles bookshop and browse through the motorcycle titles. They always had a few unusual ones that were not available elsewhere. One time they had a copy of 'Hendersons, Those Elegant Machines' by Richard Schultz. It seemed a bit pricey at the time at over £40 so I mulled it over and then didn't buy a copy. The book was a limited edition and I rued my decision not to buy ever since. I am not alone as recently several 'have a go' sellers have tried to test the market and offer the book for $1000 or more. If you look on Amazon US right now someone is trying for a very unbelievable $10,099! The point I am coming too is that if you want one of these limited books, best not hesitate, buy them when they are available as they do have a nasty habit of becoming very sought after at a later date. That's why I coughed up for American Excelsior and I don't regret it one bit. A fabulous book.

The ordering system for the American Excelsior is somewhat archane - you have to fill in a form, await an invoice and then make a bank transfer to a personal account in Germany. That or pay by paypal with a 5% surcharge. But fear not, it is all legit and the book will arrive and as above if you have any love of old motorcycles you will be delighted with it.

Finally, just to note for the book speculators that when certain volumes do get very sought after they have a habit of being re-published. Hendersons, Those Elegant Machines is available again. It's a lot cheaper than the test the market vendors are asking but it's still a high end book. Buy it now if interested! 

Motorcycling An Illustrated Social History book review

It's pretty obvious from the contents of this blog that I am keen on old photos of regular folks with their motorcycles. The premise of this book is a collection of such images each of which carry a paragraph or two of explanation. The social history of motorcycling is a neglected area, sad really as it is a fascinating subject. Motorcycle history is massively intertwined with the growth of individualism, industrialisation and leisure for the working classes. The way that motorcycles gave regular working people freedom and the ability to get out of cities and enjoy days out with independence. The taste for speed that motorcycles gave. The whole social scene that grew from the myriad of regional motorcycle clubs that once existed and are now for most part forgotten. The role of the motorcycle in youthful rebellion, and that is something that was happening way before rockers in the fifties. As a child I can remember my grandfather telling tales of speeding on his New Gerrard with straight though exhaust in the 1920s and getting stopped by the police. The complaint was that the machine had no silencing and the copper tested it by putting a stick up the exhaust to feel for a baffle. Nicked!

Where this book wins is that beyond the pictures author Roger Fogg has collated, researched and narrated the back story about the folks depicted and the locations. It is an easy book to pick up and dip in to a few of the 160 pages for a while without having to read from cover to cover and should appeal to anyone with even a passing interest in old motorcycles.

Syd Gleave Specials

I came across this paperback book about Syd Gleave a short while back. I've got to admit that I was ignorant of him and his motorcycles until this point.

Syd was born in Macclesfield and was something of a local celebrity through his racing exploits in the late twenties and into the thirties. From 1927 to 1931 Syd produced his own motorcycle, the Syd Gleave Special and it seems that some 60 examples were made. Syd's racing career came to a halt in 1935 following a bad spill. In the meantime however he had obtained his private pilots' license and became a keen air racer. In 1938 he joined the Fleet Air Arm (the naval air force). In 1942 he became a test pilot for the aero manufacturers Avro. Syd tragically died in 1944 whilst testing a Lancaster at its terminal velocity dive speed.

There's a little more about Syd here:

https://macclesfieldcemeteryheritage.com/2014/01/21/sydney-gleave-b2073/

I'm assuming the book is quite rare, it is a 60 page paperback published in 1981 but if you want to hunt it out the ISBN is 0 9507599 0 2.

Syd Gleave on one of his own SGS motorcycles.

The cover of Syd Gleave and his specials by Paul Maybury.

Three-Wheeling Through Africa

Three Wheeling Through Africa was published in 1936. A pair of adventurous American pals goad each other in to a journey across Africa by motorcycle. The route they take is from Nigeria to Eritrea, a trans-continental route that was trail blazed just two years earlier by four wheels. The friends are Charles Wilson and Francis Flood; it is Wilson who penned the book. Their journey is possibly the first coast to coast east west crossing of Africa by motorcycle.

The bikes Wilson and Flood chose for the trip are a pair of Triumph SD combinations, machines that they regularly had to push and manhandle along the route.

What marks Three-Wheeling through Africa apart is an openness and humour rare for a book of its era. The narrator most certainly doesn't take himself too seriously and the book is much the better for it. Although you will see it advertised for high prices it was printed in several editions and is not a particularly rare book so trawl the second hand book shops and seek this one out. 

Frankenstein Scooters to Dracula's Castle book review

Motorcycle travel books have gotten a bit samey of late. Chaps on big adventure bikes on voyages of self discovery enduring hardship through difficult terrain. All been done before. Frankenstein Scooters is a different take, a breath of fresh air. Nothing to prove, no big egos just two wheel enthusiasts enjoying themselves, racking up the miles and providing entertainment.

The book is a great reminder that any two wheeler is the ideal tool for adventure and if setting off on a BMW GS you are limiting your experience quite massively. The scoots are a modified Maicoletta and Lambretta fitted with more recent motorcycle powerplants (hence Frankenstein Scooters), Martin riding one his son pillion, his wife the other. They are joined by mate Dean on a Lambretta with his daughter pillion. The route takes them from home to Istanbul via Romania. Highly recommended, lots of photos and only £9.99.

You could just buy from Amazon but better still you could go for the righteous approach of buying from scooterproducts.co.uk.

The Dancing Chain book review

Came across this gem in Foyles a few weeks back. 350 pages of solid gold for bicycle nerds from author Frank J Berto. A large format hardback history of the derailleur from the beginnings to present day.

Excellently researched, well written and very well illustrated with period pictures and reproduced adverts. Heartily recommended for the more anorak inclined amongst us. A really useful reference for identifying gear mechs. I paid £40, not bad value considering its size, but then found out that it is easily available for £28 from that scourge of the book trade, Amazon.

Significantly better would be to buy a copy from the author, who has also has a fine dedicated website:
http://www.thedancingchain.com/

The Dancing Chain front cover.

Anthology of Motorcycle Travel Literature

I stumbled upon this book whilst killing some time bumbling around the 'net. It seemed like it might not be in print any more and I saw that there was a copy being offered on Amazon for £80. I'd never come across Lulu press before but I clicked through and discovered a rather wonderful print on demand service. You choose your book, pay for it, they print it out and it is with you about a week later.

The Anthology of Motorcycle Travel Literature provided excellent reading matter on a country cottage holiday with no tv and no internet. There are three early motorcycle travelogues within the anthology, each of which is virtually unobtainable in original copy (though since first publication there have been a couple of reprints of Adventures of a Despatch Rider).

The first reproduced story is that of Captain W H LWatson and his 'Adventures of a Despatch Rider' from 1915. The book tells his story from signing up to battle weary veteran. It's got to be said that it gives the impression that DRs were from the privileged classes. He makes the decision to join up before conscription and decides that despatch riding is a good bet so pops in to a shop and picks up a new bike (a Blackburne which he thoroughly endorses) and rides along to sign up. The picture painted is of educated young men enjoying great adventure, suffering great hardship, displaying heroism and being fortunate enough to be away from frontline combat. It's a fascinating and well written book depicting life in French and Belgian towns and villages as they are thrown into the maelstrom of war.

Lady Warren travels as sidecar ballast in a Dunhill sidecar attached to a 1918 Triumph around Algeria and Tunisia. Interestingly she finds many places she goes already touristed, after all, at the time they were French colonies and only a hop across the water from France. The roads she encounters are in general good repair though not so good that there isn't considerable damage to the Triumph in the course of the journey. Of the three books, Lady Warren's is possibly the most 'of its time'. Her preoccupation with finding a hotel with full bathtub facilities is mildly wearying but her prose and humour keeps you reading on.

The last travelogue in the trio is CK Shepherd's 'Across America by Motorcycle'. He is a war veteran seeking adventure who travels across to the States in 1919, buys a motorcycle and rides across America. The machine he buys is a Henderson. Slightly disappointingly to me, as a Henderson is on the list of dream machines, the bike turns out to be a barrel of woes breaking down on a regular basis and with shyster dealers keen to scam and shrug off warranty claims! Though Shepherd must have been well off he travels on a shoestring and often sleeps at the side of the road. The roads of the day in the States seem to have been truly appalling and the motorcyclist seen as a second class citizen.

As if the fine content is not enough the cherry on top is that the Anthology is in aid of charity - Riders for Health. More details here: http://www.essex-dakar.org/

Andy you can buy it here (it would make a great Christmas present): http://www.lulu.com/gb/en/shop/tim-fransen-and-steven-alford-and-suzanne-ferriss-and-w-h-l-watson/an-anthology-of-early-british-motorcycle-travel-literature/paperback/product-14962690.html

Velosolex world tour

I found this wonderful book in a bookshop in Rennes. Even if you cannot read the French the pictures are worth it alone. A brother and sister in their twenties riding around the world in fourteen months on a pair of Velosolex. They covered 18,000 km and crossed 25 countries. There's a website too with an English language section - Le Tour du Monde a Velosolex.

Le Tour du Monde a Velosolex.