Pre-65 Bikes

One for you Big John! I don't think you will need it explaining but here goes. Artie Ratcliffe at the top of Martuim in the 1954 SSDT , the last rigid to win the scottish. ( photograph by Ray Biddle.)

Hi Guy

Hi - I'm new to the forum and new to the pre '65 movement. Saw the demo at the Historic motor sport show and it re-awakened old urges. I've acquired an unmolested '59 Francis barnett Trials 83, which needs new tyres. I can't find a 19" trials tyre anywhere. Millers advised me to build a new wheel with an 18" rim. Is this the only way? Any help would be appreciated

HELP!!! I am helping restoring a 1935 Triumph 250 cc 2/5 trials bike. Registration is from Coventry factory ARW 701 on 5/3/1935 Engine number is 5.R.5.1700 and Frame is S 2291. Engineering work has gone well but we are trying to trace origins of this bike .PARTICULARLY tHE RIDER OR TEAM It is thought to be one of 5 used in a factory team in 1935 -prehaps the Scottish ??? but to date we had had no luck with Coventry Transport and National m/c museums. Also Brooklands and Triumph owners and Triumph factory were suggested but to no avail. DVLA had no Coventry records of this time. ANY HELP WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED. Looking through magazines (or othe…

Hello there chaps i have not long this bike and i was told when i bought it that it had trials compition history in the UK. Would anyone be able to shed any light on this with any results or pictures. Im new to the bike scene and i bought this great bike off a guy in essex who was pleased to see it go to someone young with an intrest in old bikes! Any help will be a great help!

Hi folks, I'm new to this forum but have read several posts here and it sounds like some of you might have the knowledge I'm after. I am working on restoring a 1939 Sunbeam B24/25T and have been searching high and low for information on likely ratios in the Burman box. I admit to knowing next to nothing about trials machinery but the bike is in my workshop and I've committed myself to it as the next project. The bike came to me (loosely put together) with both the 350 and the 500 engine, the latter in frame. The former has had a hard life but may yet be saved. The 500 came from Lithuania (apparently) but is in good order. I digress but the 350 or 500 engine is perha…

Friday night cat amongst the pigeons!

Got the chance of a D1 competition(been checked by the BSAOC its genuine) for not alot of money.Thinking of building it and trialing it.Am I mad or should I polish it and just look at it,think I'll use it how it was intended. cheers the noo Brian

I am lucky enough to own a (fairly) original 1950 TR5 in 'oily rag' but useable condition. I would love to find its original registration number so that I can research its history fully. I am informed by the VMCC that it was shipped from the factory in early March 1950 to Redhill motors in Brighton. If it was registered in the East Sussex area before Nov 1950 then it would almost certainly have a KUF registration. Given the realtive scarcity of these bikes in the UK, there will not be too many with the KUF registration, so it should narrow the field down. I would be eternally grateful to anybody who has any information about a rigid 1950 TR5 Trophy with a KUF reg. Tha…

Hi, i'm preparing an early bullet 350 for trials and i have come across the letters HCM stamped on the top of the gearbox above the box number, anyone have a clue what they mean if anything? cheers Dave

Hi any experience of modern carbs that would work well on a 1955 RE clipper 250 trials build.

hi all Think my thread title says it all - just need a bit of positive input from those in the know. VERY original proper trials version of the royal enfield crusader. I had every intention of lovingly restoring it to acceptable competetive riding condition - not to show or molly coddle. However I have been tempted by another project which is more suitable for myself. This crusader is complete and bought as a runner, though I have not even put petrol in and tried it as yet. It has new dunlops and chain and was last ridden in anger 2 years ago. Was considering putting it on fleabay but would really appreciate some rough idea of what price to expect or buy it now p…

Hi, Originally posted this in the SSDT forum, but I reckon this is where I should have. My brother and I are currently trying to sort out a load of bikes and parts that our parents collected over the years. We've done a bit of digging into a DOT we have and the info suggests it's 1961 works trials rep that was shipped up to Duncan's in Brechin for John Noble to ride in the SSDT. Would anyone on here have access to start lists/results from the early 60s to see if that could be true? Very grateful for any info or help. Thanks in advance Ian In case anyone is interested, here's a (somewhat blurry) pic!

Hi , I have a ex tom ellis c15 i am looking for information on . It has a pink/ red scrutineering mark on the frame that we have now identified as entry number 84 in the 1963 ssdt. This was Tom u Ellis entry number and i understand he did not finish due to injury. I am tying to get any pictures of this bike and rider . We have approached various photo archives but thought it might be worth asking on here for help

Hi Guys, Does anybody know any information on the following machine. BSA 441cc Victor ISDT machine. Registered No HOE 14D. I rode this factory machine in the 1966 ISDT in Sweeden. I would love to know of it's whereabouts, and what it is doing now. I have enquired of the DVLA but they inform me that as was not the registered owner of the machine BSA were, they can not tell me where the machine is now or who the registered owner is. Basicaly the machine was a 441 cc Victor scrambler. It was modified for the ISDT, one of the striking features was a large alloy fuel tank basicaly the same shape as the standard Victor one. I do have a photo of the machine but for some reason …

I found an older post with a similar title and thought to reply to it but the last post was two years ago and I thought this deserved a new topic. Anyway, a few years ago I rescued a bike that was listed in the paper as a "Triumph Cun". Figuring he meant "Cub" I called him up and picked up this thing from the side of the guys barn. It was in ROUGH shape, missing the engine, tank, seat etc. I started collecting parts for it on eBay, even found most of an engine though it wasn't a T20M but a regular old T20. I even listed this thing on the Cub website that was started back in 2000 or so and it was through here that I found out that my bike was a Commerford's Cub…

Hello, I just bought a 1955 James Captain, it’s a surprise for my 84 year old Father he had one back in the day, I don’t pick it up til the weekend but I was hoping for some advice on a running issue that the current owner has mentioned, he said it starts easily and rides but won’t rev fully, I’m not that familiar with 2 strokes so thought I’d ask on here for any tips on where to start, thanks Mark.

I know this isnt the exact thread for this bike but i thought that some one on here may be able to help me.?? I got a 1976 Suzuki TS250A engine stripped down in boxes and got a 1977 TS250 frame. im looking to rebuild the bike using the above but i noticed that the 1977 frame has two diagonal bars (side by side) going from steering head to bottom of frame and the 1976 frame which i have an engine out of has a single down pipe from steering head. Does anyone know if the 1976 engine will go into the 1977 frame ???????? Im worried about the exhaust manifold hitting the down pipes.

Dear all, Im just interested if any of you know how people maintained their small ends in the period pre roller cage bearings and for that matter, today at 4-t, eg ultra thin BMW. Press in the new bush in place, Ive done, fine drill by adjustable reaming tool 0.01-3mm, Ive done. Maybe Ive done it wrong.... Think Ive read when order new small end bush for eg Pre-65 2-t, "you need to fine drill inner diameter by reaming tool once bush fitted to the con rod" .... Regarding a thin mtr bush 1.5mm eg like BMW, a very skilled man, 55y of expericence, claim that nothing but dismantling con rod from crank will do, -to be able to fine drill a small end bush in cod rod in a "mil…

Earlier this year there were some photos of competitors in the Scottish Pre 65 trial on this site. Can they still be accessed?