Panther Model 65

A couple of snaps from a forgotten family album of a 1950 Panther Model 65 De Luxe. Though best known for their big long stroke singles Panther for many years produced a lightweight range too. Post war they had a range of 250 and 350 pre unit singles. Though favourably priced when new they were never great sellers compared to their competition. In the early years of classic biking the lightweight Panthers were derided as 'grey porridge' but are now more cherished as charming and rare machines with possibly more than a little of their big brothers' desirability rubbed off onto them.

As in pussy cat, aka Panther. Meanings change
over the years...

Makes it nice and easy when the photographer
labels the year and model of bike!

Panther Redwing

Young chap is trying a Panther Redwing for size. Future dreams of speed. Hard to say but from the size of the barrel I would hazard a guess this is the 350cc Model Redwing 80 and dating from the early thirties.

Panther Redwing 80 350cc.

Panther re-visited

A big thanks to David at royalenfields.com for kindly doing a resto job on this photo that I published a couple of posts back.

The extra sharpness on the image plus improved light gives the chance to take in some extra details missed before. As David pointed out there is a number board on the forks. One can also see that the front wheel is a 21 inch and with a studded tyre so it looks rather like this fellow used his Panther in competition. I would have said the most likely discipline for this bike would have been long distance trials.

Extra clarity on the image prompted me to investigate Panther models of the era a bit further and I'm rather ashamed to admit that my initial diagnosis of it being a Red Panther was very erroneous... Red Panthers were a discount model available in initially 250cc size and then later 350cc bought in bulk to a specification by London dealers Price and Clarke and sold through them exclusively. 

The model available through regular Panther dealers was known as the Redwing, in 250cc form it was the Redwing 70 and in 350cc the Redwing 80. Apart from finish the difference between the Redwings and the cheaper Pride and Clarke machines was a four speed gearbox instead of three and twin exhaust ports in stead of single.

I can't find reference to a competition model Redwing being available though many manufacturers did offer off-road competition versions of their standard models so it may well have been the case with Panther too. It certainly looks as if this machine is factory rather than modified.

I shall have to get in to this image restoration lark, it's not just more pleasing to look at a sharp, well lit image, the extra insight the detail gives you can be great too. Thanks again David.

Panther Redwing set up for off road competition and loaded

for touring.

Touring Red Panther

This chap has all the gear to go pre-war touring. The panniers are much more of a proper job than the lashed on suitcase that you often see in old photos and his Stormguard coat means business, that might even be a helmet on the rear carrier, quite unusual pre-war.

The Red Panther was known to be a budget bike, often sold at a discount through London dealers Pride and Clarke as a recession buster. The little 350 Panther was however a solid and dependable machine with a specification and build quality that belied its price and it found favour with many enthusiasts.

Two copies of this image came to me, one under-exposed and one over. Thought I might as well reproduce both, take your pick! 

Red Panther all set up for touring.

Same Red Panther photo, more exposure!

Panther Model 75 c1956

Today's picture from yesterdays is a Panther Model 75. Panther's 250 and 350cc heavyweight singles were worthy enough machines but certainly not ones to get the pulse racing. Without wishing to offend owners these machines were perhaps amongst the least glamorous in the 350 single segment: budget ride to work machines very much in the mold of the Royal Enfield Clipper range. As noted previously in this blog though, what a bike was then and how it is viewed now can be two very different things. A Panther 75 may have made an Ariel Red Hunter look like exotica in its day but now can be seen as having a charm of its own and undoubtedly gives pleasure in ownership and has a certain cachet of rarity.

This particular Panther 'lightweight' (a complete misnomer but this is what they are known as in relation to Panther's 600 and 650cc single behemoths) is well equipped with screen and panniers. Little chap on board is ahead of his time safety-wise wearing a helmet in an era when most wore cloth caps on their bikes.

I remember as a child often visiting scrapyards with my father in the early eighties searching for interesting old vehicles and bits and pieces. One particular local scrappy had one of these Panthers; back then they were very much unloved and I suspect that, despite local enthusiasts knowing of its existence, it probably met its end in the crusher. 

Panther Model 75 looking loved back in the day,
they had a dark period in the seventies and eighties but
are now cherished classics.

Bristol Classic Bike Show 2017 pt1

The Bristol Classic Bike Show has now been and gone. A chilly and rainy weekend but, hey, what can we expect - it is early February. Thankfully most of the show is indoors even if the halls at the Bath and West Showground are slightly drafty and with a faint whiff of cattle piss about them.

The autojumble is for the most part trade stands and tool stalls with very little in the way of old bike bits being offered. Stand price and the very excellent (and reasonably priced) VMCC Somerset jumble happening in the same venue just a month later probably contribute to this. The bikes on display were however this year really top notch. Some fantastic and unusual machines and nice to see that a good number were even ridden along to the show. It's heartening that folks are prepared to bring along such exotica as an ex-Lawrence Brough and show it to the public. The Vincent Owners club had a great line up of pre-war HRDs including two immaculate twins. There were plenty of noteworthy stands but the London Douglas Club had some cracking machinery - this year was the year of the pre-war ohv Duggie as there were several in different trims and conditions. It's unusual to see one let alone several. On the subject of speedway machinery there was an immaculate vintage Norton track iron on the Norton Owners Club stand.

I wish I could have taken pictures of more but the nature of a show is such that light and angle is not always favourable for photography but here are a few humble offerings from across the weekend....

I managed to sneak in a few snaps on Friday, the setting up
day, when there were a few less people around and more space.
Here's a lovely little Baker Villiers.

Unusual to see so many Yamaha TDRs together.

TDR line up once more. I've never tried one but I've heard
they are fantastic bikes.

This Lambretta Li125 had been brush painted. The owner
carefully stripped it back to original. Great to see the scoot
in this condition.

Nicely accessorised Norton Commando.

Not my cup of tea but a lot of work had gone in to this
Trident.

The only angle to shoot a Hurricane from.

A brace of Greeves road twins.

Aermacchi Ala Verde.

Douglas 350T, The first post war model and with an engine
derived from Douglas' wartime generator units. A really
interesting design with a lot of cast alloy used. Torsion bar
rear suspension, leading link front and these early post war
models had the 'waffle box' silencer under the engine.

Excelsior Autocycle on the NACC stand.

Francis Barnett Powerbike - note the rocking
fork front suspension.

Very stylish RAP Imperial.

More of the RAP moped.

And another angle on the RAP.

This Panther is so proper it is almost staged. The bloke who
rides this surely wears waxed cotton and smokes roll ups. He
has probably rebuilt the engine at the side of the road with a
new piston he turned up himself whilst on the way up to the
Scottish Highlands to pick up a spare con rod he saw advertised
in Exchange and Mart. He wrote the vendor a letter but got no
reply so thought he would just ride up and see if it was still
available. Excellent bike. I want this. You can't call yourself a
true classic motorcyclist unless you have a bike like this.

The Panther Owners Club stand was indeed a source of many
wonders. Here, a home made Panther-based v-twin in a
Featherbed frame.

The Panther guys don't seem to take themselves
too seriously nor do they treat their machines
as sacred cows. There were plenty of modified
bikes on the stand and several chops.

Red Panther

Posing with a thirties Red Panther. The Red Panther was famous as the value bike of the depression years and sold exclusively through Pride and Clarke of London. Panther kept the price of the Red model down by using apprentices and mill hands as cheap labour and sourced cheaper quality bought in parts than for other models. Despite the low cost the bikes were of decent design and gave many folks good service. Check closely and this one has got the optional Pride and Clarke speedo with huge five inch face.

Posing with a Red Panther.

Pure thirties. Flat cap and a Panther.

Red Panther

A duo of period photos featuring smartly dressed bright young things aboard what looks to me like a Red Panther.

Posing with a Red Panther.

Showing a bit of leg on a Panther.

Panther combo bicycle race transporter

Panther combo pressed in to service as a racing cycle transporter.

Panther outfit as race tender vehicle.

Thirties Panther

A bit dog-eared but unusual to see a photo of a thirties Panther. This one looks like it is loaded up ready for touring, those upswept exhausts look the part but make luggage carrying a pain...

1930s Panther ready for a long journey.

Svalan Panther Swedish Motorcycle

Browsing through ebay a couple of days back I came across this Svalan for sale in Poland. It's a marque I had never come across before and if it was brought over to the UK there'd be little chance of seeing two in the same place. 

Svalan 'Lyx' offered on ebay.

Turns out Svalan is a Swedish marque which commenced production of autocycles shortly before World War Two in the town of Falun. Post-war they re-commenced production and produced mopeds, scooters, smaller two stroke motorcycles and four strokes using the British Panther 'lightweight' 250 and 350 engines.

1955 Svalan brochure cover page.

The lightweight Panther engine would seem an unusual choice as its British reputation was as a solid, if slightly dull, workhorse. However in those postwar days supply was limited and it could well be that manufacturers selling complete four stroke engines were few and far between. There was a 250cc rigid framed model, the 'Matcher' which also used the Dowty forks and Lucas lighting as fitted to early post war Panthers. The later plunger framed 350cc model was the Lyx, for this model NSU forks were fitted along with Hella lighting. This appears to be the model currently offered on ebay. It's a nice looking bike and even with the £300 odd pounds it would probably cost to get over to the UK is not terribly expensive even if also not a bargain. But hurry up, only two days left......

Some Svalan links:

Svalan page on 'The Pantherlair'

Panther Owners Club page on Panther derivatives

Svalan page from Mats Berglind

Jonases page on Svalans