BMW R100RS Baglux tank cover

The latest step in re-invigorating the Beemer R100RS to grand tourer par excellence status is a Baglux tank cover. I'm over the days of fitting a magnetic tank bag that picks up any stray swarf from around the shed and then scours your pride and joy's paintjob. The Baglux is a neat system, a made to measure tank cover specific to your bike and then a choice of tank bags to clip on and off.

I ordered from Motorcycle Heaven on the sole basis that they were one of the few who listed the cover for BMW airheads and the price was keen. A tip for anyone else ordering - if you buy the cover first they send you a 10% off voucher that you can then use against the tank bag. Postage is free on both. To save everyone time and money you might as well get in touch, request the discount and buy both together. The cover is made to order so the lead time was about three weeks.

Fit on the cover is excellent. I ordered it in 'anthracite' which I have always pictured as very dark grey. Baglux's version of anthracite is a grey blue. In other circumstances I might have sent it back but by good fortune it compliments the 100RS's light blue colour scheme pretty well.

Nearly all ready now for a trip to Chimay for the Classic races next month.

BMW R100RS Baglux tank cover.

A Royal Enfield Ensign named Poodle

This picture is annotated with the date, October 1953, and the following:

Royal Enfield "Ensign"
150cc
"Poodle"

You've got to assume that 'Poodle' was the Enfield's nickname rather than the rider's. Either way a smartly turned out Ensign replete with the full gamut of period accessories; panniers, frame and rack, legshields and windshield with skirt.

Royal Enfield Ensign 150cc.

Australian record breaking Fafnir

This came to me as a cutting, I've no idea of the original publication. No problems identifying the bike, not many shout the marque quite so loud as this Fafnir. Fafnir was a German manufacturer, I cannot quite identify the year of the machine though 1905 would be a pretty good guess.

More interesting though is the caption, 'Mr W E Peverill of Melbourne, the first motor cyclist to ride overland from Melbourne to Brisbane. He returned South on March 20.' No doubt a major expedition of a journey back in the day. I've had a trawl through the web and cannot find any other reference to this journey but Mr Peverill did not stop with this one ride, he later became a regular in Australian long distance records and reliability trials.

This reference to him from the Sydney Morning Herald 12 June 1912 makes for good reading:

'24-hour motor-cycle record.

The course was from Keilor to Gisborne, Victoria, and a start was made at 25 minutes past 9 o'clock on last Wednesday night. The distance covered was 522 miles on a motor cycle fitted with Barnet glass tyres. The previous record was 517 miles, by P. O'Brien. There were 11 hours of night riding against 8 hours done by the previous holder. However, Mr. Peverill put up some of his fastest travelling during the night. Accidents were numerous; bad roads and straying cattle. Towards the end of the run the rider was thrown from his machine through contact with a cow, and his machine was considerably .damaged. He thus lost about two and a half hours. Mr. Peverill experienced no engine or tyre troubles throughout the journey. His acetylene lamps were a constant source of trouble, and for many miles he frequently carried the lamp in his hands. At the last stages of the run Mr. Peverill was so numbed with the cold that the checkers at the turning-point had to lift and remount him on his motor cycle. Mr. Haines, post-office, Gisborne, and several residents attended to the checking at the Gisborne end, and Mr. Allen, of Keilor, and other residents checked at the Keilor end.'

W E Peverill and his record-breaking Fafnir.

footnote:

Thanks to Bob McGrath for this extra information:

'WE Peverill lived in Nolan St, Maryborough, about 100 miles outside Melbourne. Keilor and Gisborne are townships about 22 miles apart on the Melbourne-Maryborough road so were familiar to Mr Peverill.

Melbourne to Brisbane is some 1125 miles. Double the distance there and back was some feat pre WWI. Those old boys were tough.'

Greeves 24TE and 24TES Scottish brochure 1962

Brochure for the 1962 Greeves trials models 24TE and 24TES. The TE had an iron barrel and the TES was fitted with Greeves' own alloy barrel and head. The bikes were popularly known as 'Scottish' models though there is no mention of that name on the brochure. The engine was the Villiers 32A 250cc, there was also a 20TE iron barrel model fitted with the Villiers 197cc 9E motor.

Great bikes, I've used a Scottish in the Edinburgh trial and finished though without award. I also had a crack at the Exeter less successfully. To be honest the Villiers motor isn't really the right tool for a long distance trial. To gear it and have a high enough state of tune to cover distances between sections you have to give up a lot on tractibility. I found the engine baulked a lot on the hills. Having said that some guys compete on Francis Barnetts so maybe I should persevere and find the right level of tune...

Greeves Scottish brochure page 1.

Greeves Scottish brochure page 2.

The Bugatti Cyclemotor

If you thought that Ducati's Cucciolo was the last word in glamorous cyclemotors (if that isn't an oxymoron) then read on and discover the magnificent Bugatti T72......

Bugatti T72 attached to a period Peugeot cycle.

Ettore Bugatti moved to Paris in 1936 after handing over the reigns of his factory in Molsheim to his son, Jean, following an industrial dispute which had left him slightly embittered. During this time Ettore designed several new engines, a common theme among which was jewel like precision, miniaturisation and an level of sophistication in utilitarian objects that would have resulted in the products being impossibly expensive.

One of these motors was the T72 cyclemotor which was more than likely designed in the early years of the war with an eye on the post war market. There were two iterations of the design, the T72 and T72B with some significant changes seen on the later development. It is believed that some seven engines were actually produced of which there seem to be three survivors each of which is a T72.

Close up of the Bugatti T72.

The specification of the T72 is rather outrageous for a cyclemotor: twin overhead cams and supercharger. The T72 had a capacity of 10.6cc which may seem miserly but with a calculated maximum rpm of 15,000 a cruising speed of 30mph should be easily attainable slightly further down the rev range. The later T72B had an increased bore giving a capacity of 12.6cc. Just a look at the T72 design suggests that at the revs it was required to produce and in the position it sat on the cycle it would be likely to suffer from overheating problems. The T72B was turned around 90 degrees and the crank sat in line with the cycle suggesting that overheating was a problem recognised by Bugatti in his mark two variant.

Bugatti T72 cyclemotor drivetrain.

There appear to be no existent pictures of a Bugatti cycle attachment in motion and non of the survivors are running. What a pity as seeing and hearing one in motion would be a wonderful thing.

Much of the information above has been garnered from The Bugatti Revue and The Moped Archive and the pictures are taken from The Bugatti Revue.

The T72 wasn't Ettore Bugatti's only dabble with two wheelers. There was also a rather special bicycle of which more to follow...

Bugatti T72 motor crying out for a cycle.....

Model P Triumph

Several photos of the same Model P Triumph taken at different times. The same dapper gent astride the machine in each image modelling a fine line in hats. The Model P was Britain's two-wheeled Ford T in that it was a decent quality product sold at a price significantly below that of its competitors. By the time production had finished in 1927 somewhere around 55,000 Model Ps had left the Triumph factory gates.

More on the P at VMCC Marque Specialist Peter Cornelius' Pre-War Triumph pages. 

1926 or perhaps 1927 Triumph Model P.

This is what all well dressed motorcycling gentlemen
should be wearing. A suit, bow tie and 'ecky thump'
flat cap.

The Model P has gained a pair of legshields.

Photo not quite on target, got most of the bike in though.
This time a natty trilby for headgear.

BSA B31 and sidecar on expedition

A pair of pictures seemingly from an expedition in the late fifties. The bike is a 1956 or 57 BSA B31 and the pictures were enlarged in 1961 so the date has to be somewhere in between these. As for location it's obviously a salt pan but where? I would guess Southern Africa, maybe the Kalahari, though it could be Australia. The combo is rather strangely loaded, there were evidently two travellers but there's not a lot of room for them on the machine, not a lot of luggage and they are carrying a slightly forlorn looking bicycle. If anyone knows more please get in touch or comment. 

1956 / 7 BSA B31 with sidecar on tour.

BSA B31 combo cruising the desert.

Update - Thanks to reader Bob McGrath for this pointer as to the origin of the pictures:

'I'd lay odds your BSA Saltpan photos were shot in Australia. That pushbike with upturned handlebars is bog standard Aussie of the time as is the broad brim hat and the pannier style water bag. Carrying the pushbike was a safety precaution. You had a chance of getting to safety on it if the outfit failed.'