Newsletter No 29 - VMCC - Isle of Man

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stationary with the rear part. We were fairly successful and it all looked and worked OK. It was now August and we started getting optimistic. The magneto was sent off for overhaul and work started on the engine, which was found to have done a lot of work, and was badly worn. The cylinder bores were quite bad, but the cylinders were deemed to be too thin to rebore - even if we could get pistons. They were cleaned up as well as we could, and with the "unworn" lower ridges bored out it was possible to refit the pistons with new rings and achieve reasonable compression. The plain big ends were refurbished and the whole lot reassembled. It was by no means a really satisfactory job, but it would serve until a better one could be done later, when better bits and pieces might be found. Come December it was thought sufficient progress had been made to consider entering for the March Pioneer Run to Brighton - but there were problems with the magneto and the overhaul was taking a long time. By now the rest was in sound and complete order, the final tittivating as usual taking longer than expected. Anyway February arrived, but no magneto.......eventually it came just four days before the day of the run. Would that bike start - no way!! Bear in mind it was a single gear machine, with no clutch, all we could do was to pedal it or push it until something happened. It would nearly go, but not properly. We towed it behind the car - it would burble along, but not pulling weight. Just to help matters - it started snowing. Come the Saturday (the run was on the Sunday) we gave up and went to bed. Now in those days in the Pioneer Run one had to have an observer riding close behind you to record any "stop" so I had arranged for a workmate to do this for me. We were to meet at the start at Epsom. Anyway, to resume. About 4 am on Sunday, Dad woke me saying "I've an idea, let's give it one more go!" It worked!! I dressed and set off for Epsom. In Kingston one of the pedals came adrift, fortunately outside a garage, where there was a light in the workshop. I went in asking for help, the man inside said "Yes, I'll braze it for you" he was none other than the father of John Cooper, and he was working on one of the new Cooper "500" racing cars! He brazed it and I went on my way. Getting to the start I met up with my mate Bill, he said, "I'll take the haversack" (it held my grub and the tools). That was the last I saw of him until next morning at work. He asked me what had happened, "I went up and down, doing 300 miles looking for you!" Meanwhile I had a reasonable run, got to Brighton OK Page 36
ut was losing power. I bought myself a sandwich and set off home, but at Hardcross the loss of power worsened and eventually I came to a standstill between two hills, and couldn't get up either! A fellow with a big Brough sidecar took pity and said "I can tow you to Kingston, but then I have to turn off' I said "Fine, but remember I have no clutch, and the engine will be turning all the time - so not too fast please!" The Vauxhall, taken at Milntown in 1984. Note the 'fluted' tank similar to the bonnet on some Vauxhall cars Well 50 mph is not fast on a Brough - but it is on a 1906 FN with no clutch or serious brakes, and holding a little decompression lever !! Anyway we got safely back to Kingston, and he departed. I managed to restart, luckily no more hills were involved. I got home in the dark, no lights, about 9 pm. Very tired, very hungry - but we had made it! There and back, first time out - with a Second Class Award. I sent some photographs to FN., they were very complimentary. In 1947 I rode a 1913 ABC and lent the FN to a friend - again it made it, in fact it made it fairly regularly until I eventually sold it - which is how I came to get the Vauxhall! It was at one of the VMCC lunches that I mentioned to my neighbour I regretted parting with the FN. He said "Would you like a Vauxhall" Now I had vague memories of Dad and my uncle, who worked at Vauxhall's discussing this when Page 37
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Page 3 and 4: Page 2 Page 3 Page 5 Page 9 Page 12
Page 5 and 6: Secretary’s Notes Hi Everyone, Ti
Page 7 and 8: Yellow Belly Notes The Eagle Has La
Page 9 and 10: to create this fabulous looking bik
Page 11 and 12: Bert Houlding: TT Pioneer No doubt
Page 13 and 14: Fred Middleton on his circa 1909/10
Page 15 and 16: The Museum moved to Christian Stree
Page 17 and 18: Mike Hailwood won with a speed of 9
Page 19 and 20: straight off the drawing board to w
Page 23 and 24: The May trial is now established as
Page 25 and 26: VMCC TRIALS RESULTS 2011 Vintage A
Page 27 and 28: From there things progressed. He en
Page 29 and 30: Through the intervening years I wou
Page 31 and 32: Sons of Thunder Pt 3 - The Superior
Page 33 and 34: It had been intended to disembark L
Page 35 and 36: R.J.Mitchell’s brilliant Supermar
Page 37: Then began frantic letter writing t
Page 41 and 42: Competition time Answers Q.1 Ray Kn

Newsletter No 29 - VMCC - Isle of Man

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