From The Archive

With factories in turmoil and sliding to oblivion, the ACU had to look elsewhere for ISDT team bikes… enter the Cheney Triumph. Words and pics: Tim Britton Sometimes the best looking motorcycles are created by accident or necessity rather than by design. For instance had the McCandless brothers not felt Norton’s post World War Two…

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To be honest, this section in CDB was one we thought might last for three, maybe four issues before the subject matter dried up. But no, it seems there are more untouched dirt bikes out there than even we thought… Words and pics: Tim Britton Montesa managed to survive the turmoil which was the trials…

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What does it take to win the Pre-65 part of our sponsored scrambles series? John McCrink investigates. Words: John McCrink Pictures: John McCrink and Eric Miles When Liston Bell won the Scottish Classic Racing Motorcycle Club’s Pre-65 Over 350cc Scrambles Championship back in 2011, everyone agreed that the lad could really ride a bike. However,…

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Photo: Nick Nicholls Collection at Mortons Archive www.mortonsarchive.com With the entries for both the full Scottish Six Days Trial and the Pre-65 two-day version now closed, the trip to the Highlands is uppermost in many trials riders’ minds. Having a glance through Nick Nicholls’ SSDT archive brought to light this great shot of Peter Salt…

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When painter and decorator Roger Simkin wanted a Beezer that looked good and went even better, it was Mick Bennett he went to. Words and pics Tim Britton Ever regretted selling something? I bet you have. In Roger Simkin’s case it was a neat Triumph engine Cotton, reputed to be an ex-Arthur Lampkin machine. Roger…

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It’s a team thing this Classic MXdN. Words: Mark Dunseath Pics: Ian Cairns The International Classic Motocross circus visited Ballyblack in Newtownards in September, for the 2016 Classic Motocross des Nations International event, promoted by the Northern Ireland Classic Scrambles Club (www.niclassicscramblesclub.com). The venue and track at landowner Leslie Wright’s farm was classic motocross utopia…

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The lighter the bike, the easier it is to ride – the CDB pre-60 MXer sheds more pounds. Words and pics: Tim Britton There are a number of ways to reduce the weight of a typical British road bike if it is going to be used in off-road sport. The easiest way is to pull…

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Kawasaki’s advertising slogan in the Seventies made much of the light weight and colour of their MX models, we check out an SR400 which epitomised the advert legend. Words and pics: Tim Britton It is a fascinating world in which factory team bikes live, and there are three separate elements to that world. Naturally there’s…

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The ISDT often showcased future developments in our industry and proved they would work too. Naturally the press were there. Words: Tim Britton Pics: Mortons Archive This is a little bit of personal indulgence on my part here… and I suppose I ought to apologise for that…. but it’s probably obvious to regular readers that…

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Though still fielding machines based on production bikes, the UK team for 1966 had some good kit. Words: Tim Britton Pics: Nick Haskell To perform well on the world stage was always the aim of the UK’s motorcycle industry throughout its existence and the International Six Days Trial was tailor made for this purpose. When…

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