Dan Gurney's 1955 Norton Manx

Dan Gurney, the legendary Formula One racer and car-builder, was celebrating his birthday at lunch a few years ago at his favorite restaurant when he heard the distinctive sound of a British-built single-cylinder motor outside.
"I looked out, and there was someone on a Manx Norton, wearing a pudding-bowl helmet," Gurney recalls. "I went outside with the idea of looking at it and listening to it, and the next thing I know, it's my son, Justin, riding it, and he's giving it to me as a birthday present!"



The choice of a 1959 Manx Norton as a gift was simple, says Justin: "They really don't get much cooler than that," he says. "He really likes singles and loves the history of old bikes."
When it comes to vintage racing, few bikes are more iconic than the Manx Norton.
The quintessential British-built road-racers of the 1950s, the bikes started life as Norton Internationals, but were re-tuned from the factory for the singular purpose of racing on the Isle of Man in the Manx TT, the most prestigious race of its time.



The 495cc single-cylinder motor was designed for longevity—the Manx TT was, after all, a 264-mile race. But the motorcycles were equally well-known for their chassis, which were all-welded duplex frames with pivoting rear forks and suspension. Designed by Rex McCandless in 1950, the frame provided the high-speed stability so important to the TT.



So impressed was Norton's Harold Daniels that he described the chassis as offering a "featherbed ride," and the Norton Featherbed frame was born. From the start, the bikes built a reputation for speed and handling that was unmatched in Europe, and Manxes were raced by legendary riders, including Geoff Duke and John Surtees, through the 1950s.



"What's most impressive," Gurney notes, "is that the company spent a lot of time tuning the bike without having any kind of modern computers, yet they managed to get that single where it was very reliable and relatively inexpensive and easy to maintain—and still capable of winning international races."



The bike is all the more amazing, Gurney says, considering the demands of the Manx TT track, which is made up of closed public roads. "I was able to ride two laps of the course on a different motorcycle, and I was staggered by how high-speed the track was," he says. "There's not a lot of hairpins or slow corners, and a lot of really fast stretches. To build something that runs strong the whole way is impressive."

Courtesy of the AMA's motorcycle hall of fame Museum

Dan Gurney's 1955 Norton Manx

Dan Gurney, the legendary Formula One racer and car-builder, was celebrating his birthday at lunch a few years ago at his favorite restaurant when he heard the distinctive sound of a British-built single-cylinder motor outside.
"I looked out, and there was someone on a Manx Norton, wearing a pudding-bowl helmet," Gurney recalls. "I went outside with the idea of looking at it and listening to it, and the next thing I know, it's my son, Justin, riding it, and he's giving it to me as a birthday present!"



The choice of a 1959 Manx Norton as a gift was simple, says Justin: "They really don't get much cooler than that," he says. "He really likes singles and loves the history of old bikes."
When it comes to vintage racing, few bikes are more iconic than the Manx Norton.
The quintessential British-built road-racers of the 1950s, the bikes started life as Norton Internationals, but were re-tuned from the factory for the singular purpose of racing on the Isle of Man in the Manx TT, the most prestigious race of its time.



The 495cc single-cylinder motor was designed for longevity—the Manx TT was, after all, a 264-mile race. But the motorcycles were equally well-known for their chassis, which were all-welded duplex frames with pivoting rear forks and suspension. Designed by Rex McCandless in 1950, the frame provided the high-speed stability so important to the TT.



So impressed was Norton's Harold Daniels that he described the chassis as offering a "featherbed ride," and the Norton Featherbed frame was born. From the start, the bikes built a reputation for speed and handling that was unmatched in Europe, and Manxes were raced by legendary riders, including Geoff Duke and John Surtees, through the 1950s.



"What's most impressive," Gurney notes, "is that the company spent a lot of time tuning the bike without having any kind of modern computers, yet they managed to get that single where it was very reliable and relatively inexpensive and easy to maintain—and still capable of winning international races."



The bike is all the more amazing, Gurney says, considering the demands of the Manx TT track, which is made up of closed public roads. "I was able to ride two laps of the course on a different motorcycle, and I was staggered by how high-speed the track was," he says. "There's not a lot of hairpins or slow corners, and a lot of really fast stretches. To build something that runs strong the whole way is impressive."

Courtesy of the AMA's motorcycle hall of fame Museum

Anyone Recognize this Bike?

One of the benefits of writing about these vintage drag bikes, is that a few people are beginning to contact me with pictures and info on early racers they know about. Recently I have had a couple of such contacts; one with the son of a famous '50s era racer, and another from a reader that owns a 50's era racer. This post is about the latter.

Ron first contacted me by phone some time ago, and told me about a Knuckle drag bike that he had acquired. Now he has sent me some pictures and agreed that it would be worth a shot for me to write about it in the hope that someone would be able to provide more info on the bike.

The info Ron has is pretty sketchy. The bike was apparently found in the back of a machine shop in West Virginia where it had languished for the last 30 years or so. As the story goes, the owner of the machine shop, someone known as "Little John", was also the owner/builder of the bike. That is about all Ron knows of its history, since the bike passed through several hands between when it was sold at auction less than a year ago, and his acquisition of it.

Let me tell you though, it is an absolute jewel (albeit a jewel in the rough)! Ron's plans are to do a mechanical restoration of it, preserving the patina. A man after my own heart.

So, if anyone out there can shed any light on this piece of history, please contact me so I can pass the info on to Ron.

BMW Robinson 2009

Como dice mi amigo Pachanga ( Hunter ) uno mas de la Pandilla ....

Ticochoppers PARTY

Fiesta de motochoppers con amigos

Beatrice “Tilly” Shilling

Reviewed by Graham White



Beatrice “Tilly” Shilling is a legend in Merlin lore. It was Ms. Shilling who overcame the serious negative “G” cutout problems with SU carburetor equipped Merlins. The tale has been told many times but briefly the SU carburetor was not equipped to handle negative “G” without first starving the engine for fuel and then over compensating and drowning the engine with an over rich mixture. The solution was disarmingly simple, a restrictor orifice fitted to the fuel supply line. In a way it’s too bad that Ms. Shilling’s reputation at the Royal Aircraft Establishment was based on this one, albeit major, accomplishment.

Prior to WWII she was an expert motor cycle rider who participated at the famous Brooklands speedway, basically a British equivalent to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Unfortunately but understandably, Brooklands was demolished during WWII as it stuck out like a sore thumb and would have made an ideal navigation reference point for German bombers. The book delves into the frustration Ms. Shilling suffered for not being promoted and blamed it on her sex. Reading between the lines I got the impression that, true, she lived in a very chauvinistic time when it was rare to have female physicists running the show. However, part of the blame should have rested with Ms. Shilling. As author Matthew Freudenberg astutely pointed out, she was not what would today be known as a “power dresser”, in fact she looked pretty awful. One interesting photograph in the book shows her consulting with Dan Gurney in 1967 when he was campaigning his All American Eagle Formula 1 racer. At the time his Harry Weslake designed V-12 was suffering overheating problems and Ms. Shilling was brought in as a consultant. In the photo she looked like a frumpy old British housewife with hand bag draped over her arm and yet despite this persona she was one of the most brilliant engineers of her time – fascinating.



Today, she would no doubt be regarded as politically incorrect. Exacerbating the situation for her was the fact she showed little respect for her superiors. I can certainly empathize with that attitude, however, the consequences are few or no promotions. One has to respect her single mindedness and independence because she must have surely realized that it cost her big time. If she had been a male and knew how to play the game there is no doubt she would have ended up running the RAE.

The book also explores her personal life, particularly her relationship with her husband and his WWII service as a Lancaster bomber pilot who completed 36 missions. Overall, I rate this book as an excellent read and well worth the money.

Beatrice “Tilly” Shilling

Reviewed by Graham White



Beatrice “Tilly” Shilling is a legend in Merlin lore. It was Ms. Shilling who overcame the serious negative “G” cutout problems with SU carburetor equipped Merlins. The tale has been told many times but briefly the SU carburetor was not equipped to handle negative “G” without first starving the engine for fuel and then over compensating and drowning the engine with an over rich mixture. The solution was disarmingly simple, a restrictor orifice fitted to the fuel supply line. In a way it’s too bad that Ms. Shilling’s reputation at the Royal Aircraft Establishment was based on this one, albeit major, accomplishment.

Prior to WWII she was an expert motor cycle rider who participated at the famous Brooklands speedway, basically a British equivalent to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Unfortunately but understandably, Brooklands was demolished during WWII as it stuck out like a sore thumb and would have made an ideal navigation reference point for German bombers. The book delves into the frustration Ms. Shilling suffered for not being promoted and blamed it on her sex. Reading between the lines I got the impression that, true, she lived in a very chauvinistic time when it was rare to have female physicists running the show. However, part of the blame should have rested with Ms. Shilling. As author Matthew Freudenberg astutely pointed out, she was not what would today be known as a “power dresser”, in fact she looked pretty awful. One interesting photograph in the book shows her consulting with Dan Gurney in 1967 when he was campaigning his All American Eagle Formula 1 racer. At the time his Harry Weslake designed V-12 was suffering overheating problems and Ms. Shilling was brought in as a consultant. In the photo she looked like a frumpy old British housewife with hand bag draped over her arm and yet despite this persona she was one of the most brilliant engineers of her time – fascinating.



Today, she would no doubt be regarded as politically incorrect. Exacerbating the situation for her was the fact she showed little respect for her superiors. I can certainly empathize with that attitude, however, the consequences are few or no promotions. One has to respect her single mindedness and independence because she must have surely realized that it cost her big time. If she had been a male and knew how to play the game there is no doubt she would have ended up running the RAE.

The book also explores her personal life, particularly her relationship with her husband and his WWII service as a Lancaster bomber pilot who completed 36 missions. Overall, I rate this book as an excellent read and well worth the money.

Oley PA, AMCA Meet 2009

A couple more pictures from Oley PA AMCA meet last weekend including a super cool, water cooled Drake Knuckle project.

~Masato's 1977 Triumph~

good running!!

Four (Fourty Fives) in a row

Just returned from AMCA Meet in Oley PA. The theme was Flatheads. The guy who built this went a little over board! It ran and I saw five people on it riding around the meet.

1923 2hp Monet & Goyon

This is the first real motorcyle a "between tubes" from the french firm Monet & Goyon. Proppeled by an English 147cc two strokes Villiers engine, built by the firm under license. This popular model launched in
1923, was followed next year by a racing version, a ZS 174 cc "Brooklands TT" Villiers engine with a double exhauts port. The bike had a big success in "Grand prix" and world records.



In option was a two speed English Albion gearbox actionned by a suicide shifter, who's allowed a maximum 50mph speed.



This lightweight was sporty for the 1923 roads; there's no front brake and the rear one is a simple rubber pad.





Joseph Monet (Engineer) and Adrien Goyon (rich familly from Macon), founded the firm during WW1. Their first productions where gear without engine for war wounded.




The marvelous carbide lamp consist of two separated tanks by a joint, the upper is filled with water and the lower tank contains pieces of calcium carbide. In contact with water, the carbide produce a flammable and very luminous gas: the acetylene.



You can imagine the rear brake action...



The rear "Luxor"lamp (another British make) has his own separate water tank.





Primary transmission by chain but final by belt.



Just before an intensive rain, I had climbed on first gear to "The battle of Toulouse" monument.
So Risky!



On the right side the throttle lever doesn't allow you a quick gear change, but you can done very pleasant rides with this machine.

1923 2hp Monet & Goyon

This is the first real motorcyle a "between tubes" from the french firm Monet & Goyon. Proppeled by an English 147cc two strokes Villiers engine, built by the firm under license. This popular model launched in
1923, was followed next year by a racing version, a ZS 174 cc "Brooklands TT" Villiers engine with a double exhauts port. The bike had a big success in "Grand prix" and world records.



In option was a two speed English Albion gearbox actionned by a suicide shifter, who's allowed a maximum 50mph speed.



This lightweight was sporty for the 1923 roads; there's no front brake and the rear one is a simple rubber pad.





Joseph Monet (Engineer) and Adrien Goyon (rich familly from Macon), founded the firm during WW1. Their first productions where gear without engine for war wounded.




The marvelous carbide lamp consist of two separated tanks by a joint, the upper is filled with water and the lower tank contains pieces of calcium carbide. In contact with water, the carbide produce a flammable and very luminous gas: the acetylene.



You can imagine the rear brake action...



The rear "Luxor"lamp (another British make) has his own separate water tank.





Primary transmission by chain but final by belt.



Just before an intensive rain, I had climbed on first gear to "The battle of Toulouse" monument.
So Risky!



On the right side the throttle lever doesn't allow you a quick gear change, but you can done very pleasant rides with this machine.