Goldtop gloves review

Round about a year and a half ago Santa was decent enough to throw me a pair of Goldtop gauntlets down the chimney. A few months later having given them a decent amount of usage I gave them a review, one that was pretty much glowing. So when I needed a new pair of summer / slightly less cold season gloves earlier this year I tracked down Goldtop at the VMCC Autojumble at Shepton Mallet and settled on a pair of 'Fleece Lined Windstoppers'.

Now, a few months down the line it seems like the decent thing to give the Windstoppers a write up too. Firstly, and obviously, they were chosen for looks - there is nothing in the way of armour here, they are just straight up traditional motorcycling leather gloves. And look fine they do, nice soft leather, red fleece lined and traditional Goldtop 'English Make' branded poppers on the two straps plus a ball ended zipper to keep them snug on the cuff. It's the same as with the gauntlets - the poppers need to be done up to their tightest position to keep the gloves on securely. The fit is generous - I usually take a 10 or 11 in gloves and with the Goldtops a medium was the right fit.

Same as with crash protection, waterproofing is fairly low level. Wax them properly and they should see you through a light shower but anything more and you will be wet. To criticise these gloves on protection and waterproofing though would be to miss the point, these are proper traditional well made gloves that fit perfectly in style with a vintage or classic bike and manufactured by a company well deserving of success and support.

Goldtop fleece-lined Windstoppers.

Traditional Goldtop popper design.

Period correct zipper.

Triumph NSD combo

A Triumph NSD combo at an intriguing location, not too sure what is going on in the background there, perhaps a seaside hotel? The NSD was Triumph's replacement for their upmarket sidevalve model, the SD. In reality the new NSD didn't owe a lot to the SD apart from a shared engine capacity of 550cc and the single cylinder side-valve format. The NSD was introduced mid term in 1928 and dropped in 1930.

For more info visit Peter Cornelius' site.

Triumph NSD on holiday.

Douglas Vespa Accessories

Great list of official accessories for your mid to late fifties Douglas Vespa. Scooter accessories really haven't changed much in the last 60 years....

Douglas Vespa accessories page 1.

Douglas Vespa accessories page 2.

Douglas Vespa accessories page 3.

Douglas Vespa accessories page 4.

Flat tank Nortons

A lovely small collection of flat tank Norton photos from an unknown family album.

Norton 16H modified to race.

16H with 'Zeppelin' sidecar.

Another photo of the 16H combo. A top end sporting outfit
of the period.

The same 16H outfit ahead and an unknown sporting
outfit behind.

Alan cycle finishing touches

Sometimes a project is 99% finished and then somehow just gets left for a while. I got that far with my Alan a couple of years ago and then stopped for a while and just hung it up on the wall as an ornament. Truth is the reason that it stalled was that I wanted to finish off the full Campagnolo spec but was a bit bowled away by the price of a decent set of aero pedals.

After a good while of sitting looking at it all forlorn and pedal-less I resumed the search with adjusted expectations of how much I would have to pay. After a while adrift on the bay of e a pair floated my way, they're not perfect but they're not half bad either. Seemed like a good opportunity for the Alan to see some metal polish and daylight. So here it is in all its completed glory, shiny and be-pedalled.

There's a lot to get stuck in to with the Autosol on an Alan!

Love this cycle. The only cycle I have that is a nostalgia trip
for me. All the stuff I couldn't afford as a teenager!

Campag delta brakes. Magnificent folly.

Excessive complication for no gain but beautiful
to look at.

No cycle of the era is complete without a Rolls saddle.

Campag pedals on Campag crank.

No indexed shifting here.

Cinelli XA internal wedge stem and delta brake.

Excelsior 1958 Abridged List

Excelsior's line up was always an interesting one from pre-war days right up until the end. Someone in the company obviously had a penchant for the unusual as they weren't scared to throw a few surprises in to the line up alongside the bread and butter. Pre-war, for such a small company, the range was impressive: from depression era cheapies through to the uber glamorous Manxman models.

1958 was in the twilight for the Excelsior company but they were still managing to produce their own motor in the form of the Talisman twin. The same motor they managed to sell to Berkeley for use in their microcars. There was a three cylinder 500cc two stroke Excelsior that was made for the four wheeler sporting Berkeleys, what a massive pity that it was never offered in their motorcycle range. There have been several special builders over the years who have put together their idea of what Excelsior should have done so it was certainly possible and seems like an opportunity lost. Imagine, a two stroke air cooled triple offered twenty years before the Kawasaki H1.  

The 328cc Talisman Twin Special. The
'Special' in the title being the addition of
a slightly ungainly 'bathtub' rear enclosure
to suit the fashion of the day.

The regular 328 and 250cc Talisman Twins. Quite rare bikes
now and well thought of. Those in the know rate them more
highly than Villiers twins.

The bread and butter models. For a good while the 98cc
Consort was the cheapest bike on the market. Earlier
Excelsior had a line in selling knock down price bikes
in kit form. Selling a bike in kit form exploited a tax loophole,
if you were prepared to spend half a day bolting together your
motorcycle you could be mobile on the cheap.

And last but not least the Skutabyke.
Really just a plunger framed Consort model
from a couple of years previously fitted with
an engine fairing and legshields.

Thelma and Louise

Sorry for the post title, couldn't stop myself. Nowt much to say other than a charming snap from probably the mid thirties of a pair of ladies with their light roadster cycles and a lovely coastal view in the background.