Bikes, People ansd Places

My first bike was an ex GPO123cc Bantam painted light green similar to the one below.

I remember wearing a tank suit to keep warm. It zipped up from top to bottom down both legs and was really warm, that is until it got wet. Then it bought a plastic Belstaff jacket that eventually cracked and let in water and was freezing to touch. Horrible thing.

My next bike was an Ariel Arrow bought new from Moto at Catford. They sponsored Charlie Rouse on a Vincent who raced against George Brown and others in sprints, now called drag racing. Only found one listing on Google.

After a time I was offered a Vincent Rapide for £30 which I bought. It was kept in an earth floored garage. Eddie Rivers who owned it just took the plugs out squirted some oil in the bores, kicked over a few times, put the plugs back and it fired up after half a dozen kicks. then I had to ride it home from Poplar to Blackheath. That meant riding it through Blackwall Tunnel, well that was an experience. The bloody thing went like the wind, I can remember opening the throttle along the longest straight in the tunnel, it got to about 80mph, luckily it had good engine breaking and good breaks, it frightened the life out of me.

I had broken the bridge on a throttle slide so went to a local Triumph shop in Greenwich. I asked him "if he had one of these" holding up the slide. I was told I was very lucky as he had two that he had bought for his old Vincent adding that the old the old CJN was the fasted down the Goss (now Death Hill on the A20) with a chair. I added the rest of the registration number 529 and he couldn't believe I had his old bike. I found out later he was Freddie Cooper who was also a sprinter. He had a twin engine Triumph called Cyclotron and if I remember correctly was being sponsored by the Daily Express to go to America for an attempt on the world records. Only one Google entry for him too.

That's me on the left, the bloke who owns the BSA C15, Peter Lloyd is taking the picture. We're still mates after 50 odd years.

I suppose my real motorcycling started when I bought that bike. My friend Stuart Emery had a 250cc AJS and I remember another bloke had a Royal Enfield Crusader Sports. We were always trying to outride each other. Johnson's Cafe on the A20 at West Kingsdown was our favourite haunt but sometimes we did the round trip from Blackheath to Johnson's on to the Salt box at Biggin Hill and then home. Johnson's was great some great bikes got up there one bloke in particular had one special after another, usually Tritons and all called A.G. Specials. I wonder what happened to those bikes?

Les Bowler's Norton ES2, my Arrow and I think is a Dominator 88 belonging to a bloke name Laurie.

2nd left Lynn my ex wife on right Stuart Emery 250cc AJS. I can't remember the other names.

Johnson's Cafe.

Often there were run bys, the bikes would go out in one direction round the roundabout and race by the cafe one I remember was a green BSA 500cc Shooting Star beating a Bonneville, Gold Star and another I can't remember. Four bikes came past spread out across the road. t was exciting.

One story I was told by one of the previous generation was the way the police stopped speeding bikes going through Swanley. They threw their push bikes into the path of their motorcycles to bring them down. How true that is I don't know.

I joined the Greenwich MCC and through them became a Marshal at Brands. Druids Hill Bend was our usual post. I was very lucky to see some great racing and great riders there. At one meeting, most likely=y a bank holiday Mike Hailwood was to be there with the 500cc MV and my idol Derek Minter was riding the Gilera, the air was electric that day. Unfortunately Mike crashed breaking a thumb or finger in the first fast 350cc race of the day so the clash didn't happen.

Greenwich M.C.C. Dance, I think it was at the Yorkshire Grey, Eltham. Alan Skinner is on the right I wonder what became of him. Nice fellow. Who are the two on the loft?

Probably the most dramatic race I saw was the one in which Derek Minter and Dave Downer crashed, Dave was killed and Derek broke his back. Phil Read pitted after 10 laps with mechanical trouble and was rumoured to have been overheard saying he was glad as someone was going to get killed out there today. Again only hearsay. Its one question I'd like to ask Phil though.

Here are some pictures I took at that time.

Derek Minter at Druids on the Gilera. Dave Downer Dunstall Dominator

John Hartle Gilera Mike Hailwood, Phil Read and unknown Owen Greenwood and Colin Seeley

Rex Avery and Peter Inchley on the EMC 125 2 strokes Chris Vincent BSA

King of Brands Derek Minter 1960's Brands. Is the old or new the best track?

11th June 1962 I must have upset somebody as I got posted to this straight instead of my usual Druids Hill Bend post. But I still managed to get some interesting pictures.

11th June 1962 Florian Camathis leading Max Deubel. 11th June 1962 11th June 1962 I think this is Ernst Degner 50cc Suzuki.

1962 and 1963 TT

1962 TT Gary Hocking 500c MV entering the Bungalow. 1963 TT John Hartle 350cc Gilera at the Gooseneck.

The Salt Box crowd Hugh Anderson Suzuki at the Gooseneck

Tommy Robb Honda at the Gooseneck Creg

The gooseneck maybe Jim Redman Honda

Knatts Valley Hill Climb