The Terrier Rebuild Begins...

No false alarms this time.  It's Real.  The aim is to get this little Triumph on the road for May and use the Grampian Classic MCC Annual Camping Weekend trip to Skye as a running in test - which is just what I did with Cubbie in 2008.  A round trip of 500+ miles should be enough to establish what's going to fall off or break etc.

Cubbie on the Skye Bridge, May 2008, complete with toilet roll.

Then between May and September, any alterations, updates or repairs will be carried out and more miles added to the clock, in preparation for the Gaffers Gallop.  So, this is the state of play so far....

The frame was cleaned and treated with one of those rust stopping substances a little while ago.  Oh ok, about a year and a bit I think it was!

The front guard has the original paintwork, complete with a few rust spots.   I'm tempted to leave it as it is....

But for some reason, the back guard, at least I assume it is, as it was with the front one, is completely  bare of paint.

As is the nacelle.

The oil tank has been lovingly painted in a rather nice shade of blue.  Again, I'm tempted to leave it but will I get away with it?  The back of the tank is original Terrier red.

This is the tank that came with the bike, its the wrong one, but is anyone bothered?  

Not sure why this tank is in the Terry File, it's supposed to be for the trials project, but hey, it looks smart dunnit!

Terry's bottom end has progressed a little from this, and has been stripped, cleaned up, had new bearings fitted and awaits my attention to put it back together.

Most of the other bits and pieces are present, the head has been fully cleaned up and is tucked up in an oily rag somewhere.  I really need to send off to try and get the original number - I have a log book and a dating certificate so fingers crossed....

Merv sorted the old chrome on the wheels for me. 

It's a lot quicker doing it like this than scrubbing away with a wire brush, or trying to build a cabinet at home and sending blasting medium all over the garden!

They've come up quite good, and the spokes are sound.  A lick of paint will see them right and hopefully, if any are going to cause problems, they'll do it on the running in test to Skye, rather than half way to John O Groats.

And then there's Yorkie, the 1955 plunger Cub that Muckle Flugga Man will be riding.  That's in many parts at the moment too....

And Scott the Cubaholic has also to build his Terrier.  If you want to take bets on who will finish first, I wouldn't bet against Scott!

A little VMCC Adventure....

Had a bit of an epic few days last week - popped down to Crieff for tea with the Orams (thanks for putting up with me again) and then onto the Stirling Castle VMCC Section meeting - quiz night!!  Organised by John Murray, a local chap who recognised me from several years ago when I attended a Christmas meal & quiz at Glencarse with the Scottish Classic MCC.  They had a good turnout, we all got into groups of 4 and then the   fun began.  I think the best bit - and I shall be trying to introduce this into our own GCMCC Xmas Quiz - was the charades type questions.  One member from each team had to pick a bit of paper from John, and on it was written a type of motorcycle.  Then they simply had to convey this type of motorcycle to their team mates without speaking a word.....  There was some crazy acting going on, and I don't know how anyone guessed any of them really - especially our one which was a Vincent Black Shadow.  

Section Chairman Gordon signalling desperately for help in the quiz.

After a great evening's entertainment (oh ok, I confess, our team came joint last, but we all won prizes) it was back to Peter's and then up early the next morning to visit his friend Dougie Doon the Road. 

Dougie has just been lucky enough to be alerted to a completely original BSA A7 (I think its a 1958, I wrote it down somewhere but....) which has had one owner from new, and has been sitting in the garage for umpteen years.....

There is surprisingly little rust - if it was me I'd just clean it up and away we'd go!  Dougie will probably do it properly though, and he'll have a cracking bike at the end.

The bike belonged to a friend of the guy who alerted Dougie to it, and this is the pair of them pictured with their matching BSAs 'back in the day'.  

Then it was onto visit Mr T for a quick look in his workshop and to see the bikes he's working on at the moment.....

And then it was back to Aberdeen for a spot of the day job, before heading south again to the Clyde Valley VMCC Section night.  Despite the chilly temperature and the threat of snow, Secretary Tim Ryan turned up on a bike - his nice little Matchless shown below....

The forecast was for some really heavy snow that night, but as we left the meeting there was no sign of it, so I hot-footed it as far north as I could go before dozing off, and made it to Perth.  They have a very nice Travelodge there.  Or maybe it was just nice because it was very late and I was very tired!

Ah yes, the A90 heading north was a bit tricky in places where it was down to one lane.

Just a little snow in the morning - but the reports from Cubbie Towers weren't good - strong winds and drifting...

I made it as far as the bottom of the Big Hill and then Mrs BC had to come and rescue me with Sharon in 4x4 mode.  Thanks to Clyde Valley & Stirling Castle Sections for making me welcome - and thanks John McM for the loan of the book.

GBC and the Gaffers Gallop....

Yes, Gorgeous Biker Chick is one of several certified mad people who will be attempting to ride Triumph Terriers from Land's End to John O Groats, just as Edward Turner did, in 1953.  To celebrate the 60th Anniversary of what became known as the Gaffers Gallop, we will be aiming to stick to the original timetable and route as much as possible.  Modern motorways and modern traffic will just befuddle our little bikes so hopefully we can find some nice little back roads that were the main roads in Turner's day.

To give you a rough idea of the task - the original Gallop went like this....

6th Oct - depart Roche, 11:40hrs > Land's End > Exeter for supper. 

7th Oct - Exeter > Leamington Spa with lunch at Malmesbury.  Approx 160 miles.

8th Oct - Leamington Spa > Carlisle with a tea stop at Appleby.  Approx 246 miles

9th Oct - Carlisle > Inverness with luncheon at Perth.  Approx 263 miles.

10th Oct - Inverness > John O Groats, no apparent stop for lunch or anything else!  Approx 158 miles.

I won't be going alone though, oh no, Brett Baxter from B&B Engineering and Mike Estall (need I say he wrote the Tiger Cub Bible???) will be doing part of the 'southern' leg, from Exeter southwards, and Scott Scotty Scotty Scott (that's just one person, not four people called Scott, I couldn't cope with that!) and the Man from Muckle Flugga will be doing the whole route with me - somewhere in the region of 1000 miles.....on Terriers and a plunger Cub....which we all need to crack on and build!

I don't suppose there is any chance in the world that any of the ORIGINAL Terriers from the Gallop are still around and on the road?  Reg numbers - NWD 867, NWD 868 & NWD 869.  Would be brilliant to have some of the three bikes that actually did the run to accompany us.  And quite frankly, if you have a Terrier or Cub we'd love to have your company anyway.  And if you want to come along on Any Other bike to meet us, take some pics, support us in any way, you're more than welcome.  A more detailed timetable of where to find us will be published as soon as its available.

I have a plan...

I think we (as owners and enthusiasts of old motorcycles) need to take time to think what will happen to our bikes when we're long gone.  I mean, is your family interested in the smelly, oily noisy old bike that you've lavished so much care and time on over the years?  Or when you head off to the bikers' pub in the sky, will some dodgy scrap metal dealer knock on what used to be your front door and offer your family a ridiculously insulting sum of pennies to 'take it off their hands'?  More than likely, as I've heard numerous stories of this happening up and down the country.  So my plan is two-fold.  We need to make other people, outside of 'our world' aware that our bikes exist - a little bit of British engineering that's survived anything up to a hundred years, and the main group we need to raise this awareness with is youngsters.  Do you know the accident stats for teenagers and those in their 20s/30s who go and buy a sportsbike straight after passing their test?  Look at the stats for classic and vintage bikes and ok, so you can argue, the older the rider the safer they are in general, but you can't get into quite so much trouble riding a Tiger Cub or a 1923 Triumph SD as you can with a 1000cc plastic rocket, but you can have a good helping of fun nonetheless.  Life, is all about goals and achievements, at least that's what they tell you at school and in work, so why not achieve the goal of riding a bike that you've restored or that you keep on the road using your skills to ride the length of Scotland, or the coast to coast or whatever route you choose?

So, I have a plan.  Sorry, make that a Plan with a Capital P.  The trouble with plans is that while they're in the planning stage, its best not to tell anyone about them in case either they don't happen or someone else thinks that's a great idea and wanders off with your Plan....but now, the time has come!  Inside the front page of the Vintage Motorcycle Club Journal, there is the bit in the pale purple box, above the contents list.  In this box it states : 

"The Vintage Motorcycle Club, with over 17000 members, united by the common appreciation of the engineering skills and vision of those who built the pioneer machines, has ensured that such machines are not preserved as lifeless exhibits in a museum, but are brought to life on frequent occasions in order that a new generation can marvel at the handiwork of the pioneers, and an older generation can once again view with nostalgia the machines they rode in days gone by".

You all know that just about every trade we have in this country is dying out, from building skills to traditional crafts to engineering.  The skill of maintaining old motorbikes is no better off, with many people of my generation (let us just say under the age of about 40) hardly able to even change a plug on a bike nowadays, never mind strip and rebuild the engine!  Well, since joining the Management Committee in 2009, I've had numerous chats with other members about ways to get younger people involved in the world of old bikes, and some of you may recall, I did a bit of a survey with you to gather your thoughts and ideas on how to put this Plan into action.  I think I may have found a way that does just that, and has the opportunity to involve Sections up and down the country, and I should be able to give you more on the ins and outs of it in the not too distant future....so watch this space.....

Clyde Valley VMCC NEW WEBSITE

The guys down in the valley have a new website - www.clydevalleyvmcc.co.uk so if you're interested in old motorcycles and are in the Clyde Valley area, why not have a look for details of where and when they meet, and pop along.  You can also find out about their *NEW* Rock 'N' Roll run, planned for summer this year.  It's open to members and non-members so make a date in the diary (22nd June) and rock n roll on down to Crossford, Carluke.  First 60 entries only so chop chop!!

Vote for GBC!!!

Uh oh!  Seems there will be a vote to decide who will be the Scottish Area Rep for the Vintage Motorcycle Club for the next two years.  I have been Rep since 2009 - it seems a long time when I write it down but in reality, it's just flown by.  In that time, apart from my general 'duties' of visiting Sections and being a link between them and Allen House, I've been involved in starting four new events in Scotland - the Haggis Run for my own Section, the NE Scottish, the Plus1 to compliment the long standing Scottish Double, the incredibly popular Scottish Vintage Training Day held at Grampian Transport Museum in Alford and the Vintage Gathering organised by the Auld Reekie Section.  In some cases, my job has been to research, plan, and organise from scratch, and then to work on the event right through to the end - take the Haggis Run - a totally new concept for our Section, so a venue had to be found, dates researched, routes and special tests invented, paperwork organised and everything that we would need on the day had to be thought of....and then on the day, its up early, stuff the car full of forms, maps, bike numbers, traffic cones, tennis balls and plant pots (yes, really) and pens and string and....well, you get the picture!  Then its a day spent signing people in, marshaling and helping where I can, taking plenty of photos and afterwards, writing reports for either the VMCC Journal or a section newsletter, or maybe even the likes of Old Bike Mart and a blog update - busy busy, but fun!  Don't get me wrong, being Area Rep isn't always a one-person job and I had loads of help from Mrs BC and our Section Chairman, Captain Bill and together, we got the Haggis set up.  

Peter Donaldson 'Leaders' the way in multitasking at the Haggis...

See, look, it IS fun, says Geoff Hanson!

The guys queue up for the Special Tests at the Haggis.

Lovely weather again...

The same goes for the Plus1.  Working closely with the then Chairman of the Central Scottish Section, a certain Mr Stan Shorty Williamson, the entrants of the Double were quizzed on what they'd like to do in the week between the two big events, and then we created the Plus1 so that they could have a good excuse to visit the north east corner of Scotland and ride our beautiful roads and eat ever so unhealthy home made cakes and sticky buns in places like the great Duff House.  As well as the road run we laid on a formal meal and awards ceremony and on the second night, an informal get together with an al fresco meal and a local singer to entertain.  Creating an event that's 'different' is a load of work but I have to say, all the buzzing around and planning really is quite enjoyable, not to mention rewarding, especially when, on the day, you get lovely weather (hmmm) a nice big turn out of smiling VMCCers taking their old bikes out for a canter,  and members of the public coming up for a chat to find out what all the fun is about.  That's part of the reason I do these things, to give people the opportunity to see and hear and smell the bikes in action.  Don't you just love the stories about "I remember when my Dad had one of those...." or "I learnt to ride on one of those...".

The start of the day at the first Plus1

Bette Barber (VMCC President) sets the riders off at Aden Country Park

Nice bikes and SUNSHINE.  No, it's not Photoshopped!

A stop for tea and cake at Duff House allows the public to see the bikes...

....and what nice bikes there were to see...

With an event like the Vintage Gathering, my involvement couldn't have been more different.  Early on in my Rep-ship I popped down to Edinburgh to see the guys in the Auld Reekie Section.  With little going on VMCC-wise in that area in those days, it was just a handful of chaps meeting for a pint and a natter, and our casual conversation about events or runs they could do in the future sparked an idea which turned into a Scottish Gathering of Vintage machines.  I'm pleased to say that these days they have a greater turnout at Section nights and the enthusiasm for promoting vintage and veteran machines in Scotland, is quite contagious, and it's great to see regular Section Notes appearing in the Journal too.  Not having a suitably old machine, I couldn't ride in the event, but, Johny Johnson came to the rescue (as he often does in these situations) with the offer of a seat in his Sunbeam's sidecar.  A 4am start from England, due to being down there for a Management meeting, saw me arrive just in time.  The route was great and being in the chair allowed me to catch up on some much needed sleep....errrrr....I mean it gave me a chance to get some good photos!

Ready for the SPLASH!!!

Tucked up safely in the sidecar, GBC didn't hardly notice the SPLASH!!!

Is that an alternative route to the right?

Ahh, the Scottish Training Day. Do you remember it? Back in the glorious summer of 2010 - the day before the Training Day we had a visit from Ivan Rhodes and his Roarer (more on that later), and the day before that we had tremendous thunder storms and rain of Biblical proportions! With 21 fabulous bikes ranging from an Autocycle to a Hobart to an Indian and including several Sunbeams and oh ok, I might as well list them all -

1921 Reed Scott - 1930 BSA Sloper - 1930 Ariel LG250 - 1925 Sunbeam Model 7 outfit - 1923 Hobart - Royal Enfield K32 outfit - 1928 Sunbeam Model 2 - 1930 Scott - 1929 Panther 500cc - 1927 Raleigh Model 17 - Velocette KTT - 1925 Royal Enfield Model 180 - 1929 BSA E29 outfit - 1921 Sunbeam Sporting - 1922 Indian Powerplus - 1928 Sunbeam Model 6 - 1925 Sunbeam Model 2 - 1920 Norton 16H - 1912 Rudge TT 500 - 1915 Calthorpe JAP 300 - Autocycle

- what a day!!!  You wouldn't believe the amount of organising this one took.  It isn't easy to get people to lend their prized vintage bikes, especially when they don't quite know to whom they are lending them.  But that's just the point of the Training Day, to allow people who have never experienced a bike with a hand gear change and a lever throttle, to have a go.  Liaising with VMCC Past Pressy, Colin Seaton and the Chairman Kim Allen, and the Grampian Transport Museum, the date was set so that the VMCC guys could attend and still make their other commitments at the southern training days.  I've never seen so many cheesy grins. People were a little nervous to start with, but after everyone had put in a few laps on their first steed, it wasn't long before they were literally queuing up for certain bikes and trying to get a 'full house' on their card.  A huge thank you again to all who supplied bikes and spent a day instructing the novices, and all the extra marshals who helped out in the paddock or on the track.

Johny Johnson lends a helping hand.

Cooooey, over here....seems to be a case of really bad camera shyness!  

Mick Elstone tries Alec Stevenson's Indian for size; left hand twistgrip and foot clutch I believe....

"This one for go, this one for stop...."

Bill!  Bill - he's behind you!

Some owners were slightly reluctant to let go.....

GBC was needed as, errrr ,ballast?

The Area Rep work isn't all about big events and starting events and making lots of noise. It's also about being a point of contact for the Sections and visiting them either at a Section night or a rally or run etc, plus there are the Committee meetings at Allen House down in Burton Upon Trent. These happen once every couple or few months and are usually on a weekday. A day off work, you say? Well, yes, but although I work full time I'm lucky to have a fairly flexible job, and the only meetings I've had to miss have been once when I was ill and another time due to bad weather, and I'm proud to say I've been to all of the AGMs while I've been in office - the one in 2012 was a particularly memorable occasion - I was presented with the EE THOMPSON Award which is for "outstanding efforts in promoting or organising Club activities". I don't do the things I do to win awards, but it sure is nice to know that people appreciate my efforts enough to nominate me. Anyway, I like promoting old bikes. I mean, what better excuse can there be to take your old bike out and about? You'll usually find me promoting my 1962 Tiger Cub, but that's only 'cos I don't yet have a vintage bike. But that's changing, sort of, in spring 2013, when I shall become the temporary custodian of the VMCC's 1924 Triumph SD....gulp....

Pic supplied by previous custodian, Tim Britton of Old Bike Mart fame

Outgoing President Colin Bell hands over the trophy

Talking of being a point of contact, something I've done a lot of these last few years, is helping to source motorbikes for various projects.  Film companies or authors or clothing companies often email me to ask if I know of a suitable bike for their shoot - one such occasion was to locate a machine to star in the promotion of Diane Atkinson's book, Elsie and Mairi Go to War, at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.  What better PR can you get than that???  The number of photographers who want to shoot sidecars is quite unreal, I suppose the person modelling or selling whatever product it is doesn't have to be able to ride a bike because the owner can do that, whilst they concentrate on their job.  More recently, a guy from Sweden needed a bike for display at a trade fair, again, in the capital city of Edinburgh, and through some contacts we managed to get a Tiger Cub out there into the public - and business - eye. 

Many of you will have heard by now that I also publish a magazine.  The Cub Mag is dedicated to what is undeniably my favourite motorcycle and through it, I aim to promote riding, fettling, showing, using and enjoying old bikes.  With subscribers in TEN different countries, it all helps to spread the word.  I've been pleasantly surprised to receive subs from a lot of younger Cub owners & riders lately, and their next step after a Cub might well be something older......clunkier.....and more 'vintagier'....

With Edward 'Turner' Bear in charge of PR, it's gotta be a winner, yes?

Right, time for a break.  Part two of 'Why You Should Vote For GBC' will be coming up soon.  Trying to recall all the things I've done and write down all the things I want to do in the future takes a while, cos there are so many of them....