KICKSTART. Volume 34 No 03 MARCH The Official Journal of The Vintage Motorcycle Club. Member of S.A.V.V.A.

Transcription

1 KICKSTART Volume 34 No 03 MARCH 2019 The Official Journal of The Vintage Motorcycle Club. Member of S.A.V.V.A. Affiliated to The Vintage Motorcycle Club Of the United Kingdom 1

2 Contents VMC CALENDAR OF EVENTS CHAIRMAN S CHAT... 4 PAST EVENTS... 4 DJ UPCOMING EVENTS... 7 STARS OF SANDSTONE... 7 CENTURY RUN... 7 ANGELA S PICNIC KNYSNA MOTOR SHOW... 8 HARVARD DRIVE... 9 POMC VINTAGE AND VETERAN DAY... 9 CABLES AND CABLE MAKING FIRST TIME RIDERS ENTER THE DJ Rally CLUB NIGHT 25 th FEBRUARY CLUB MEETING DUTY ROSTER LETTERS TO THE EDITOR CLASSIFIEDS FOR SALE: WANTED: SERVICES: CLUB and CONTACT DETAILS Cover Page:. 2

3 VMC CALENDAR OF EVENTS 2018 April CMC Club Sunday CMC Germiston 4-14 Stars of Sandstone Fiksburg / Goldengate 7 Angela s Picnic SAMCA Delta Park, Victory Park 14 Century Run VMC Kromdraai area/voortrekker Monument - TBA 21 Piston Ring PR Modderfontein 22 VMC Club Night VMC Oaklands 28 Knysna Motor Show GRMC Knysna MAY CMC Club Sunday CMC Germiston TBA Parkhurst Red Car Carnival VVC Parkhurst 19 Piston Ring PR Modderfontein 16-18/19 Natal Classic Rally NCMC KZN 26 VVC Club Sunday VVC Oaklands 27 VMC Club Night VMC Oaklands JUNE Mampoer Rally POMC Pretoria 2 CMC Club Sunday CMC Germiston 9 British Day POMC Pretoria 16 Piston Ring PR Modderfontein 23 D.J. Remembrance Run VMC James Hall Museum 23 VVC Club Sunday VVC Oaklands 24 VMC Club Night VMC Oaklands August Magnum Rally Forthcoming Events 2019 POMC Mpumalanga Dates, events and locations may change. If anyone has information on changes or additional events that they would like included, please contact Rob Pattison-Emms at or avonrod@mweb.co.za 3

4 CHAIRMAN S CHAT Ralph Pitchford It was encouraging to see a healthy entry of bikes at the 2019 DJ Rally especially all the first-time riders as well as competitors from overseas. Hope to see you all at future events. A big thank you to Larina McGregor & her team for all their dedication & hard work & for putting together a great event. The first three places overall went to VMC members. Well done to three in a row Overall winner, Gavin Walton, Martin Davis & Kevin Robertson, 2nd & 3rd respectively. Well done to all the finishers & for those who weren t so lucky let s get those bikes repaired & ready for the next event. It s now time to get your oldest bike running for the Century Run which takes place on 14th April. Safe & fun riding PAST EVENTS DJ 2019 Ian Holmes Every DJ seems to dish up its own flavour and this year was no exception. The flavour this year seems to have been roadworks and unscheduled surprises! Nevertheless those who really know their stuff were not phased by this and the winning scores are a great testimony to the skill and abilities of the riders. The start this year was at a new venue the Colony Shopping Centre in Hillcrest and it has a number of advantages for this purpose. There was a print shop in the complex which proved to be very useful and the restaurant upstairs The Republic was a great venue for meals and marking up route schedules. The basement area was secure and we had the place to ourselves. Although the numbers were down on the previous year a total of 80 people entered and around 75 or so riders set off in their time slots and were quickly out of the worst of the traffic because of the locality of the start. As anyone who has ridden DJ the traffic can be a serious challenge when you are riding a ninety year old motorcycle. It was vey good to see fifteen First Time Riders in the field and special mention must be made of Peter Gillespie who facilitated five of these including two riders from America. We had a genuine Houston cop William Gilmore and ex Saffa Mark Ward all the way from the States. Judging by their responses at the end of the ride they would love to be back next year. 4

5 An area of some concern is that as the years pass there seem to be fewer of the really old machines starting and the oldest starter this year was Steve Helm s 1916 BSA. There was only one entry in the 50km/hr speed group and the vast majority were in the 60km/hr group. Nevertheless it must be remembered that the newest bike on the run was eighty-three years old and that speaks for itself. By comparison the newest bike on the first commemorative run in 1970 was only thirty-four years old! So the route followed the same roads through the Thousand Hills Camperdown and on into Pietermaritzburg via the new approach since last year and then the road blockages and detours started. In the end all found their way to the Shell station for the first refuel stop which was where the only incident on the run occurred. It is always a shock to see just how quickly things can go wrong. Briefly we understand that a car was filling up at a pump when a truck that had done a delivery to the shop at the station was leaving. The driver of the car was startled to see the truck seemed to be turning too sharply and to avoid being hit by the action reversed very suddenly and unfortunately there was a DJ bike behind the car which was not seen. The resulting collision put the rider and bike and a bystander on the floor but fortunately there were no serious injuries. On the group went but with a fairly high rate of attrition and a number of machines were loaded by the lunch stop in Estcourt. Once again Eskort Meats and the local Lions Club put on an excellent lunch in the old church where the steps up to the hall provide excellent physio for the riders!! On to Ladysmith and Newcastle where the open section allowed for an easier finish to the day and was a relief to the now battered sit upons! War stories anxious faces at the results board and some good thirst quenching were the order of the say for the overnight stop. Day two saw the new route via Memel Vrede and on to Heidelberg via Villiers. While some sections were very bumpy fortunately only short bits this was chosen to avoid the nightmare and very real danger of articulated trucks between Standerton and Balfour in particular and while it was slightly further the relative quiet made up for it. The lunch stop at Eskort in Heidelberg was the last stop before the dash to the finish at the Classic Motorcycle Club. The prize giving breakfast was once again at the VVC Hall. There were some special guests at the breakfast as the Winner of the 1929 DJ s daughter and grandson were present. Carol Freeman the daughter OF John Lind the 1929 winner and Mark Freeman his grandson were present to handover the magnificent Schlesinger vase which John Lind would have held ninety years ago in He averaged 49.52mph throughout the race which was amazing for the machinery and roads of ninety years ago. Mark gave a brief presentation of some of his grandfather s memorabilia including the exquisite miniature replica of the Schlesinger Vase given to the winners in those days. Below Ian Holmes hold the miniature next to the original. 5

6 The first three places went to the Usual Suspects as some people call them but and outstanding achievement. All three are members of the Vintage Motorcycle Club. The results for the first ten places are as follows: Position Name Comp No Day 1 Day 2 Final 1 Walton Gavin Davis Martin Robertson Kevin Van Rooyen Jaycee Johnson Geoff Broady Mark Ward Mike Pitchford Ralph Vlietstra Peter Kaiser Martin Already Next Year s event is being discussed and as it will be the 50th anniversary of the first Commemorative DJ Run it is anticipated that entries will be strong so when the Regs are out you should get in quickly! Gavin Walton Winner of the 2019 DJ 6

7 Martin Davis Second Place Kevin Robertson Third Place (with trophy for first Velocette) UPCOMING EVENTS STARS OF SANDSTONE Full details of this event can be found at Fritz Kraemer is planning to ride down to this event. Anyone wishing to join Fritz for this ride should contact him at CENTURY RUN This event, planned to be held at Kroomdraai may be combined with the POMC Vintage and Veteran Day to be held at the Voortrekker Monument on the same day. This will be finalized at the club evening on 25 th March. If you plan to attend this event but will not be at the club meeting, please confirm with Ralph Pitchford or Rob Pattison-Emms beforehand. ANGELA S PICNIC Ian Holmes Every year on the first Sunday in April Delta Park in Linden sees a most amazing collection of cars and other vehicles coming together for the annual celebration. The event is named after the late 7

8 Angela Heinze who used to coordinate it and all car clubs in the Gauteng area are usually represented. Organised by SAMCA the event raises money for a cancer charity. The VVC usually have a spot and it would be really good to have as many classic motorcycles join them as are able to make it. The format is that the various clubs have their picnic sites around the park and to ride a bike or walk around and see all the variety on show is most pleasant. Catering is by self so if you want to picnic it is a good idea to stick a few sarmies or whatever you enjoy and a bottle of water in your haversack and bring a hat too as the sun can be fierce. This year the date is Sunday 7 th April and vehicles start arriving from 07h30. If you go by car earlier is better as there can be a queue to get in. A donation in aid of cancer research is collected as you enter if you can and look for the VVC Banner or anywhere else you may wish. Most car clubs will be represented. To get there follow the signs to Delta Park off first avenue Linden. If you haven t been before it will be a very interesting outing KNYSNA MOTOR SHOW The 2019 Knysna Motor Show will once again be held on the Knysna High School Sports Grounds, located on Waterfront Drive. The show runs from 09:30 to 16:00 on Sunday, April 28, Admission prices are: Adults R50, R10 for children 12 to 18 years-old, and children under-12 are admitted free. Regarding accommodation The Knysna Motor Show has partnered with the following hotels and special deals have been negotiated : Pezula Hotel To book, call Hanlie de Villiers on and use promo code KMS/2019 or just clink on this link --. Protea Knysna Quays Hotel - To book call Reservations on and use the Knysna motor show as references. For more information on the Knysna Motor Show, use the following contacts: Peter Pretorius, on peterp@afrihost.co.za, or by cell phone on For more information, go to the Garden Route Motor Club s website on 8

9 HARVARD DRIVE POMC VINTAGE AND VETERAN DAY 9

10 CABLES AND CABLE MAKING Submitted by Ralph Pitchford (This is the first part of a two part series on cables and cable making Ed) This is the section where we deal with those cables that you oil regularly, that operate your clutch and your front brake. They are an important part of your biking experience, not only for your safety but also to make the experience a pleasant one there something rather magical about you & your bike cruising smoothly along a sunny lane, with everything operating as it should. One of your main connections to your bike is through those control cables: Cables & Uses Since the dawn of the bicycling era we have had the Bowden flexible cable. Your typical old motorcycle will have several for the front brake, the clutch, the throttle and maybe for the back brake, an air slide, a decompressor and the magneto as well. You may have noticed that these cables are not identical in fact there is a whole variety of components used in control cables throughout the biking world. Like many other facets of life, cables have their own jargon. Here are the keywords: You might recognise this as something like a Bantam clutch cable though Bantams have the adjuster mid-way along the length of cable, not at one end. Cables are manufactured from multiple strands of high-tensile steel wire, formed into a cable (i.e. twisted together in contra-rotating layers) provided with a compression resistant outer casing formed as a spiral of rectangular section wire, covered in a PVC or cloth sheath. The outer is finished with a pair of ferrules at each end, to protect the ends, and the inner is fitted with a pair of nipples, usually brass, to allow the handlebar lever or twist grip to pass the load into the cable, and the cable to transmit that force into the clutch, brake, or throttle slide. Talking about loads, of course we realise that the load passed into a throttle slide is far less than the load that is required to bring a heavy bike to a stop with the front brake. So, we need several different cable sizes to cope with these loads we don t want to operate the tiny throttle of a BSA Bantam with a cable suitable for the rear brake of heavy bike like a BSA A10, because it would be way too stiff and the friction alone would probably stop the throttle closing. So there are several cable sizes in use: 10

11 It s useful to note, when you are buying cable components that several of those inner wire diameters are similar is not so very different from 0.075, so be careful when measuring! When you have bought your inner wire, store it carefully. One of the key elements of successful soldering is cleanliness - solder will not 'take' to greasy wire or to wire that has been out in the weather for a while. The inner cable should be free of grease and the plated wires should be shiny - dull corroded wires may not solder at all. Outer Casings, Nipples, ferrules, inners etc. So, to help you decide which components you need, here are some tables identifying the various parts: Inner Cables & Ferrules Here are the dimensions for the corresponding casings & ferrules for those cables listed above: 11

12 Nipples Occasionally you'll find a nipple application that you can't buy, in which case those of you with a lathe and some brass bar can make them yourselves. Buying Parts There are a few suppliers offering cable making parts shown on another page. Shop around though, since nipple prices seem particularly variable. It is probably wise to buy your inner cable and outer casing from the same vendor Making up a cable will follow in next month s edition. The full article may be found at 16 FIRST TIME RIDERS ENTER THE DJ Rally Roger Houghton (This article just missed the February edition-ed) This year s Durban-Johannesburg classic motorcycle regularity rally has attracted an entry of 78 riders which is less than expected, but what is heartening is that 16 of these competitors will be taking part in this famous event for the first time. The 2019 DJ Run starts at 06:00 on Friday, March 15, from the Colony Shopping Centre in Hillcrest, outside Durban, and will finish the next day at about 15:00 at the Classic Motorcycle Club s clubhouse in Germiston after an overnight stop in Newcastle. 12

13 We are delighted that there are so many newcomers on the 2019 DJ Run entry list as we need renewal in classic motor sport and this is happening this year, said Ian Holmes, the Chairman of the Vintage and Veteran Club of South Africa, which promotes this international rally. Noteworthy among the first timers are the Gillespie trio of father Peter and sons Alexander and Timothy. They will be riding three very different motorcycles from Peter s collection, being a cc Scott Super Squirrel (a two-stroke) for Alexander, a cc Triumph for Timothy and a 1920 ABC Sopwith, with a horizontally opposed twin cylinder engine of 398cc, for Peter. Peter Gillespie (ABC) with sons Alexander (Scott) and Timothy (Triumph) Peter Gillespie, who is a true petrolhead with a collection of classic Studebakers as well as a variety of racing cars, has also facilitated the entries of two riders from the United States, who will ride two of his other motorcycles. William Gilmore, a police patrolman from Houston, Texas, and a person who loves long distance rides all over the world, will ride a cc Ariel Twin Port, while Mark Ward, a South African who emigrated to the US about 30 years ago, will be mounted on cc AJS. The entry for this year s DJ Run may be slightly smaller than usual, but it still has many former winners in the field who will be seeking to add to their records on this prestigious event, riders such as Gavin Walton, Ralph Pitchford, Kevin Robertson, Martin Davis, and Allan Cunninghame. 13

14 Once again most of the motorcycles are a variety of British brands as they were the most popular in the days of the original DJ road race. The oldest motorcycle entered this year is a 1916 BSA K- Series which will be ridden by Steven Helm. Early beginnings The DJ Run has a long and impressive history. It all started in 1913, when Captain Lloyd and some friends hit upon the crazy idea of having a motorcycle race from the City of Gold (Johannesburg) down to the sea in Durban, some 403 miles along rough tracks in the veld, writes Ian Holmes. There was, generally, a non-existence of anything we might call a road today. Little did they know they were setting in motion an event that still evokes all kinds of emotions and activities every year around March. The original race usually started on Union Day (31 May). Then, over the next three days, later two days and eventually one day saw intrepid motorcyclists attempting to cover the distance between the two cities as quickly as they could. These days, of course, the event has a very different flavour, but a few common factors still exist. Firstly, the machines being used today must, in theory, have been eligible to have taken part in the original races. This means all machines competing in the 2019 DJ must have been manufactured on or before December 1936 which was the year the last race was run. The second commonality is that, where possible, except for, principally, safety and of course the changes brought about by progress, the original route is followed as closely as circumstances permit. Another great similarity is that, despite better roads, the present-day runners have the same challenges to cope with in keeping machines going. Add to this the fact that the newest machine participating today is 83 years old and so are some of the present-day riders! Unfortunately, there is a new hazard facing the entrants too in the form of heavy traffic. Considering this it can be argued that the modern-day event is still the most challenging regularity rally in our country. It requires great concentration, focus and determination to set out on today s DJ and stick at it all the way to the Reef. That has to be what brings many repeat riders back and attracts the healthy crop of first timers we are happy to have each year. From the welcoming function at the Natal Old Car Club on the Wednesday evening to the buzz in the documentation area on the following day, preceding the start, the smiles on the faces bear testimony to people having a good time! Once again on March 14, the old bikers and their steeds will gather in a shopping centre outside of Durban at Hillcrest (modern traffic conditions no longer permit a start at the City Hall as was past practice) for documentation and pre-event scrutiny of the motorcycles. There will be speculation among the competitors about what this year s Clerk of the Course, Larina MacGregor, has planned for them. 14

15 The weather plays a vital role as rain doubles the challenge straight away. Much reference to predictions on cell phones and TV is made and that is always the wild card in the game. Initially the race ran from Johannesburg to Durban but, as the organisers were mostly based in Johannesburg, it was decided many years ago to start in Durban and run the commemorative rally inland. The prizegiving was usually held in Johannesburg after the event and was a black-tie event where the magnificent Schlesinger vase was handed to the winner along with a stunning array of other trophies for various achievements. The organisers are extremely fortunate in having some of the original trophies including the beautiful 105-year-old Schlesinger vase which the winner gets to hold. The vase itself is a wonderful history of the event recording the names of all the past winners. A great deal of history of these early races is available and there is an excellent website, which has an account of each of the early races. The most talked about was the famous snowstorm run in 1921 when only three machines finished the course. CLUB NIGHT 25 th FEBRUARY 2019 David Pitchford The club meeting was chaired by Ralph Pitchford with 29 members present and 11 apologies received. Ian gave feedback on the health of Stuart Cunningham who is recovering well. Best wishes to Thelma and Stuart for a speedy recovery. Motorcyclist of the Month was awarded to Mark Broady for winning his first rally at the POMC summer run. Ian updated all regarding the upcoming DJ event. Approximately 75 starters at this stage due to some late withdrawals. Angela s Picnic to be held on Sunday 7th April 2019 at Delta Park. Martin Davis gave a book review on Moto GP Technology 3rd Edition by Neil Spalding. It is a must read on the sophisticated and fascinating technology involved in the design of these incredible racing machines fitted with big bang engines. 15

16 Steve Helm gave a bike talk on two of his bikes, one being his 1916 BSA model K with a 4½ horse power engine which he intends to ride in this year s DJ event. The other bike was a 1928 Chater-Lea 350cc face cam motor. Only 500 of these motorcycles, of which two were in South Africa, but one of them was later shipped back to the UK. The late Dick Osborne originally rode this Chater-Lea in the DJ commemorative run. Steve Helm firing up his 1928 Chater-Lea 350cc CLUB MEETING DUTY ROSTER MONTH MOTORCYCLE SHOW & TELL BAR DUTY March Peter Vlietstra Alan Hickey & Roley Tilman April Mark Broady Bill Lance & George (Visitor with Norton) May Stuart Thompson Mike Ward & Marius Malherbe June Hamish Morrison Ian Holmes & Hamish Morrison 16

17 LETTERS TO THE EDITOR On a recent road trip down to the Cape I had the fortune of finding two overnight stops on the internet thingy that deserve a recommendation. Both had secure parking for car and trailer with very clean and comfortable accommodation and very close to the N1. The first is the HereHuis Guest house in Beaufort West which serves an excellent evening meal and equally good breakfast with appropriate drinks menu and pool etc... The second was A Little Guest House in Bloemfontein near the Bloem N1 Engen. Very comfortable with every convenience right down to a microwave. All at a bargain basement price of R425 for a single occupancy in a twin bedded room per night. There is an excellent Steak House - the LongHorn about a kilometre away for the evening meal but breakfast can be arranged at the B&B if needed although Wimpy is close by. Maybe a separate page or link could be created in Kickstart where members can add their recommendations or warnings on accommodation around and about in South Africa. I usually use the internet on the road so to speak and find probably only one out of ten that s a bit or rather grotty but there are some gems that need to be shared. Regards Martin Davis CLASSIFIEDS For Sale and Wanted advertisements will be placed in Kickstart for ONE edition only. These may be renewed on request each month. Services advertisements will be placed for a maximum of SIX editions and must be renewed every January and July. your advertisements to editor@vintagemotorcycleclub.co.za. The cut-off for any month is the close of business, third Monday of the month. FOR SALE: 1929 Harley Davidson For Sale As discussed, I have attached pictures of my father's bike which we are considering selling, provided it fetches the correct price. At this stage we are looking for R , this based on extensive research I have done on various US websites and classifieds. My father inherited 2 of these bikes from his father in the 70's, the one bike was incomplete and sold off as spares, the other was kept (the one in question here) and ridden by my father (Italo 17

18 Lupini) on the 1975 edition of the DJ run. It was then parked for many years and restored in 1999 by a guy called Henry Kinnear on the east rand. Some additional mechanical work was done about 4 years ago (Pistons and rings). The bike runs and is in overall good condition but not perfect, there are one or two small things that I must make you aware of or that need attention: - The manual oil pump doesn t seal correctly when not in use, this results in oil leaking down into the crankcase and subsequently the bike smokes heavily when started and run. I presume this is just a seal that needs replacing. Finding this seal is another story altogether! - Bike needs a new battery. - Bike doesn t have an air filter, this needs to be sourced. - There are some small scratches, blemishes and chips on the paint work but nothing major. You have to look for them to notice. - 1 or two bolts and nuts that are not OEM. Apart from all of that the pictures speak for themselves. It s a very rare bike that deserves to be admired and cared for by somebody that has the time and passion required. I simply have too many bikes and not enough time and patience for classics at this stage. Looking forward to your feedback. Regards, Elio Lupini WANTED: Triumph Tiger Cub engine wanted : Contact Trevor Fraser Velocette Venom Gear Box wanted : Contact Brandon Pair of Bing carbs for a BMW R50/2. : Contact Sven

19 SERVICES: British Bike Spares, Restorations and other Services Specialising in classic British bike spares supplying parts from Wassell, the biggest new classic bike part wholesalers in the UK. Contact Gavin Walton Home , or Mobile , Full restorations. Wheel Lacing and Building. Contact Pierre Cronje. On Mobile Ultrasonic cleaning call Henry Watermeyer on Petrol taps Enots flat-slide type, made in brass to your order. Sizes 1/8, 1/4 and 3/8 BSP Rally boxes made to your order with handlebar mounting brackets plus mountings for the rally plate and three watches. Trevor Fraser on or Restoration and other services. Gravel Man Services offers full service of all BMW boxer twins (old and new). Accident damage repairs and restorations. Contact Markus Watson on Vapour Blasting Services. We clean aluminium, brass, and copper parts using VAPOUR BLASTING method. It s a gentle, water based, non-destructive process for smooth satin finish. Suitable for aluminium cylinder heads, engine blocks, gearbox casings, carburetors, etc. Call Janus Gruska from Classic Restorer on (Benoni) or classic.restorer1@gmail.com Magneto Rewinding. Also coils for stationery motors and BMW m/cycles on exchange basis. Contact Rod Thomas for further info and courier details , or rodthomas@telkomsa.net 19

20 CLUB and CONTACT DETAILS THE VINTAGE MOTORCYCLE CLUB P O Box SANDTON 2146 South Africa Committee Members Chairman Ralph Pitchford ralph@connix.co.za Vice Chairman Ian Holmes ianhol@iafrica.com Treasurer /Acting Editor Peter Vlietstra pvlietstra@gmail.com Secretary Dave Pitchford david@sftsafety.co.za Club Dating Officer Kevin Walton kevin.walton@norcrossa.com Committee Member / Events Rob Pattison Emms avonrod@mweb.co.za Committee Member Brandon Jarvis brandon@ascotmews.co.za Committee Member Mark Broady mark.broady@gmail.com Librarian John Hassall Jh29@mweb.co.za CLUB ACCOUNT DETAILS Account Number Nedbank Sandton Branch Please use your name and surname as your reference when making a payment CLUB MEETINGS Meetings are held every 4 th Monday of the month (except December) at The Vintage and Veteran Club (VVC), 3 Athol Oaklands Road, Oaklands Johannesburg, at 19:30. The opinions expressed in KICKSTART are not necessarily those of the Committee or the Editor. 20