Orson Posted October 23, 2006 Share Posted October 23, 2006 I recently had the opportunity to visit the newly refurbished British National Motorcycle Museum in Birming-HUM (not HAM), U.K. The museum has recovered from the devastating fire it suffered a few years ago. Every bike has either been restored or replaced with a matching model. Truly a labour of love. I'm not much of an old bike expert but, needless to say, there were a whole lotta brands I've never even heard of. The period between the two World Wars must have been a dizzying bonanza for English bikers trying to decide what brand to buy. No doubt that many good bikes went out of existence because they failed to catch the public's eye. A Douglas Flat-twin like BMW's boxer. Raleigh grew to be famous for their bicycles but for a time, they also produced motorcycles. Check out the bells & whistles on this Ariel. I count 6 levers and switches. Woe be unto the newbie biker who tried to figure out what lever does what while heading into a corner :crazy: A precursor to todays Triumph's Rocket III? A 1000cc Scott triple. Put'ch yer ear plugs in! A plethora of Bonnies in all variations... A 150 mph speedo on a Vincent. That must have translated into about 300 mph in today's miles Let's not hear any bitchin' about today's chains. How'd ya like to get yer dungarees caught up in this? :wow: The Brough Superior was known as the Rolls-Royce of motorcycles. Lawrence of Arabia owned 6 of them. They must have been a thrill. Mmmm...v-twin :drool: A BSA triple. I believe this particular one was a factory prototype. A BSA Rocket 3 from the 1970s near the end of their production run. At the end of World War II, BSA ruled as the world's largest motorcycle company. Their factory motocross team dominated the post-war race scene with ultra-trick, unobtanium weaponry such as this 500cc scrambler. You just know they sounded mean. The Rickman brothers were custom bike builders much the same as Bimota. They built beautiful machines. I believe this one is Norton powered. The Rickmans got their start fabricating tricked out dirt bikes. When I was a wee pup, I used to drool over their works of art. Check out that lucious body work. I believe this one is powered by a Triumph or a BSA engine. A Triumph ISDT bike similar to the one ridden by Steve McQueen at the 1964 ISDT. A thump-thump-thump Another Rickman Metisse with beautiful body work and a Triumph parallel twin with straight pipes...ouu la la! Leslie Graham won the first 500cc World Championship in 1949 aboard an AJS "porcupine" much like this one. It would be AJS' only championship. A Greeves 250cc roadracer. For a few years, Greeves was almost respectable in the racing world though they had their greatest successes with dirt bikes. One of Britain's most famous and beloved racing motorcycles, "Slippery Sam" won five consecutive Isle of Man Production TT races from 1971 - 1975. Imagine the sound along Sulby straight...must have been glorious. A '69 Bonnie. There were so many tasty examples of Bonnies. How to choose just one but this one would be near the top. What kinda pinko communist wouldn't want one of these in his or her collection? The Norton 850 Commando in one its final incantations. A "naked" version of Norton's rotary-engined bike. Norton rotary sportbike in John Player Special livery A sport-touring-ish Norton rotary. I hadn't realized they had made such a range of rotary bikes. A Hesketh Vampire v-twin sport tourer. What might have been a decent touring bike never got off the grounf financially. A view of the Hesketh's cockpit. BSA had some of the most visually appealing tank badges. Their ever-changing face must drive restorers crazy trying to track down the right badge for the right year! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admin Jaap Posted October 23, 2006 Share Posted October 23, 2006 A visit to this museum has been on my todo-list for a very long time... Maybe I can combine the visit with a V11 meet somewhere in Britain. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jihem Posted October 23, 2006 Share Posted October 23, 2006 great pics ! thanx ! Norton rotary sportbike in John Player Special livery i had the pleasure to ride one of those for a week end. Really strange engine, great handling. The engine sounds like an old two stroke car from an ex-Iron Curtain country, and there's lots of smoke coming out the exhausts. It has no torque per se, and zilch brake engine effect. It's like a bicycle with an engine such is the handling neutral. Sound is quite wild, it goes like a turbine, higher and higher. Power was very decent, it would go like a jap' 600cc. Loved it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
helicopterjim R.I.P. Posted October 24, 2006 Share Posted October 24, 2006 I am very proud of the reconstruction and replacement they have done there. I have also made it one of my "must do" visits for my next time in the UK. Thank you for a fine set of photo's and commentary!! Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alex-Corsa Posted October 24, 2006 Share Posted October 24, 2006 Awesome stuff , great material for some quiz as well.(for what wasn't posted) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
g.forrest Posted October 24, 2006 Share Posted October 24, 2006 thanks orson,. great pics and report. the rickman pictured is 750 royal enfield powered. and the 69 bonny is a 500 daytona. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frenchbob Posted October 24, 2006 Share Posted October 24, 2006 Great pictures I believe that Slippery Sam, for instance, was so badly damaged after the fire that even the engine casings had melted. Who would have believed it possible that all the damaged bikes could have been reconstructed in so short a time? Credit due to all the restorers and specialists who handled the work in the UK, which is now truly the centre of the Universe for classic bike fans. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike wilson Posted October 25, 2006 Share Posted October 25, 2006 It's a truly impressive place although I do have problems with the credentials of some of the machines, especially after the fire. The first two Rickmans are powered by, respectively, a Royal Enfield twin (probably the Interceptor 750) and, I think, a Matchless single. They had a few design faults. If you look at the twin, you can see that the footrest is mounted on the exhaust pipe.... The 1930s machines, in the most part, were assemblages of proprietary items. Sometimes there would be an added cosmetic detail to distinguish them. If the manufacturer got the "mix" right, you could get quite a good machine for much less than the cost of one where the manufacturer did most of the work. What was the machine with the double belt drive? It's an interesting machine. Note the eccentric bearing for the pedal crank, so that it can be adjusted to keep the chain properly taut. You couldn't move the back wheel, as that would change the belt (direct drive - no gearbox or clutch) tension. Pedals for starting and for light pedal assistance on hills..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orson Posted October 25, 2006 Author Share Posted October 25, 2006 What was the machine with the double belt drive? Gosh, it's been a month since I was there. I can't remember I'll see if I can find it on the museum's web page. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan M Posted October 25, 2006 Share Posted October 25, 2006 Nice post Orson, beautiful stuff. There was a big article in one of the brit classic bike mags about a year ago showing the fire damage and the rebuilding process. Many of those bikes were literally melted into unrecognizable lumps. Amazing work getting things back to what is shown your photos. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike wilson Posted October 25, 2006 Share Posted October 25, 2006 Gosh, it's been a month since I was there. I can't remember I'll see if I can find it on the museum's web page. Might have been the Rex. I see the Montgomery-Anzani ended up there. Another good reason to visit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vtwin Posted October 26, 2006 Share Posted October 26, 2006 Beautiful bikes! Thanks for the pics! I remember seeing pics from the museum after the fire, it was awful!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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